


Sonic Marathon: Book 1

by Ninebreaker



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Bad Dreams, Conflict, Gen, Mystery, Sonic suffers a lot, Violence, Vomit, his life is nothing but suffering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27204074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninebreaker/pseuds/Ninebreaker
Summary: With Eggman gone and the world safe once more, Sonic revels in the fame of being a hero. However, it's not all sunshine, as the very first time he had ever become Super Sonic, did far more damage to his body than he could have ever realized. It will not be an easy, short, or comfortable journey, but it is one he will have to take if he wishes to survive. Join Sonic as he discovers unsettling secrets and delves further into his own uncomfortable truths about himself.
Kudos: 8





	1. My Own Private Alexandria

The world before Sonic was nothing but darkness.

Not to say this was unusual for him, because more than once, especially recently, he found himself dreading the idea of falling back into slumber. Where it used to be a repreive from the world, a chance to recharge his batteries when his patience grew thin like saran wrap, taking a load off and kicking back in some comfortable grass, a hotel room, or even underneath a tree on a hilltop somewhere, he always found solace in the comforting null of sleep. The world itself was so loud and intrusive, it could be grating on anyone if they bothered to listen.

Sonic himself was empathetic to a fault. He could read the room quite well, knowing just when something was amiss amongst the people, or if the atmosphere of his surroundings became cheerful or dour. In his younger years, various people often mistook him for mute. It got so bad, his mother and father eventually went to get him checked out, and he subsequently surprised everyone by suddenly speaking up about how he didn't like to talk. Contrarily, he just liked to observe his surroundings. His Dad often said "you got two ears and one mouth, son. It's better to listen than to speak out of turn."

Growing older as he was, this sentiment slowly went away. He grew brash, bold and brave, taking on dares and challenges that no sane kid would ever consider. Jumping from high places, running amongst traffic, boarding down steep hills. It was in his blood to be a daredevil, a trait he shared with both his father and his mother.

And yet, even as he became a raucous thrillseeker with a devil-may-care attitude, he always took the lessons his parents taught him to heart.

So why was he flat on his back upon the hot, stone ground?

Sonic opened his eyes slowly, greeting the blue skies he so often stared at. Only instead of seeing an old friend, he felt the cold, silent judgement of hundreds of eyes upon him as a cacophony of cheers grew in volume. One by one, Sonic's senses returned to his stunned and bruised body, noting how feeling slowly returned, including the familiar sting of blood flow creating pins and needles along his arms and legs.

It slowly came back to him in flashes as the clouds rolled overhead, shielding him from that terrible sun. He had been fighting... fighting someone he at least considered an acquaintance if nothing else. Someone he had helped a few months ago. That someone, at the moment, was currently having his fist held high in victory.

Right, he remembered now.

There had been a tournament. A tournament for fighters to show off their abilities to the world and get the grand prize. Was it a bunch of cash? Or maybe it was expensive things like a boat or a car? Sonic couldn't remember. What he did recollect, was losing his cool and acting like an insanely conceited and arrogant jerk.

Sonic groaned as he sat up off the ground, bringing a hand to his head to soothe the gargantuan headache currently drilling into his skull. He had been in some pain in the temples of his head, but it was nothing compared to now. Sonic peeked through his fingers, opening them up slightly to peer over at the tournament victor himself, Knuckles The Echidna, having his arm held up to the crowd cheering on the unknown underdog having defeated the "Hero of Mobius".

Some hero he was. The things he said to those people, and to his _friends,_ and to the first person he met on his extraordinary journey. Tempest didn't deserve to get treated like that. Neither did Tails, or even Knuckles.

Shame washed over his chest. Why? What happened? He _thought_ he was in control, and he certainly felt like he was on top of the world...

_"Honey was right. You're just a jerk."_

Those words the dolphin spoke to him, were less mere words and more akin to holding ice cubes on ones flesh for too long, sticking out in his mind as fresh as morning dew during the spring. Something in him broke when she spoke, and he couldn't exactly place what. A deep, ugly emotion welled itself like foam to the surface. It shouldn't have effected him so much. Worse insults ran off his back like water. So why did Tempest calling him a jerk piss him off more than anything else? Irrational behavior would be one way to describe it, but that wasn't Sonic.

Having lost his cool and collected demeanor, Sonic entered the fight with Knuckles. What should hve been a fair match between two equally skilled opponents ended up being a one-sided thrashing afflicted on Sonic's part. He just could not land a single effective hit on Knuckles. The echidna was calm through the entire match, parrying, blocking, and dodging every single punch, kick and spin dash. This only angered Sonic more, causing him to act rashly and make mistakes he would normally never make.

It ended with Knuckles letting go of a combination attack that sent Sonic sprawling across the ground, tumbling into a roll before stopping dead on his back. These fights in the tournament always concluded in one of two ways: Either you stayed on the ground for ten seconds, or you were knocked out of the arena. Sonic was sure Knuckles clocked him cold for a little more than ten seconds

Sonic brought a hand to his jaw as he slowly rose to his feet, wiping off the dust and pebbles collected on his body. He'd gotten the beating he deserved, as far as he was concerned... that much was evident. Should he even stick around? With the way Knuckles was blushing as the Tournament Announcer gave him an impromptu interview, it was more than obvious he wasn't used to this kind of social pressure. Knuckles earned the fame. He deserved a little limelight.

Instead, Sonic would leave. There was no justifying the way he acted, and trying to apologize for his behavior would most likely make him appear sanctimonius in the eyes of the crowd. Oh, he was sure he had more than a few fans still, but Sonic wasn't sure he could actually face anybody after loudly declaring what an arrogant moron he was being.

Sonic ignored the words of the announcer calling his name as he made his way out of the arena.

The mounting tension in his neck and the migraine forming all over his skull would make getting back to his hotel room a difficult task. The world around him grew quieter, even if he could still hear the din of the crowd that wasn't interested in the fights, but more mundane games and interests, dealing with slots and card tables. He had to at least give Casino Nights this; they knew how to put on a show.

The lights around him only served to further upgrade his headache into a throbbing one, placing a hand to his forehead to try soothing the pain, passing by several buildings showcasing a band, as an announcer provided details on how to win big at their newest attraction. He could barely hear a word they were saying, even as his ears strained to pick up even the slightest noise.

He might've been worried if he wasn't so good at navigating, even as his stomach actively churned, somehow upset with him when he hadn't even eaten anything yet today. Or maybe that's why it was mad with him? Details were becoming foggy to his senses the further he went, causing his eyes to cloud over a few times, rubbing them to work away the haze.

Rounding a corner on one of the many avenues, vertigo began to set in. That's when Sonic knew something was wrong, because spinning had never bothered him before, and the entire world becoming an erratic lazy susan spinning at a high velocity was such an absurd mental image in his head, Sonic would have laughed had his stomach not suddenly chose to vent its contents from his mouth and onto the ground in front of him. He felt hot, like someone just placed a sauna around him.

The sudden retching forced the blue hedgehog to hunch over, agony setting in within each limb, every muscle tensing at once and causing an ache to spread over his body the likes of which he hadn't ever experienced before. Another wave of vomit ejected itself from his stomach. The only detail he could reliably make out, was an eerie obsidian amongst the pile of puke. The voices around him, laughing, remarking on how he probably had far too much drink at the bars around him. He's never tasted alcohol in his life.

He would have passed out, falling right into the sick puddle beneath him, had a pair of hands not suddenly grasped at his shoulders and waist, hoisting him out of the heated cloud forming around him, back into the cooler breeze passing over. Through the miasma, Sonic made out a black and white blob before him, staring into his bi-colored eyes, helping him scramble to his feet.

"If it ain't Sonic himself. Geez, what's he doin' out here?" He heard a voice behind him ask curiously. It sounded distinctly feminine.  
"No idea, but he looks like shit." The voice in front of him with the two-toned eyes responded in a cool manner. His voice was smooth and deep. The kind of voice you could hear on a radio for hours. It was soothing, if slightly menacing.

Another voice to his right.  
"Man, he must've felt sore after that last match. That red dude hit him harder than we thought. What was his name?" Sonic would have responded, but his lungs were currently seizing, causing him to cough towards the ground. It wouldn't have been very polite to cough all over the person helping him up.

"Knuckles the Mole." came the cool voice. Well, that made sense. You wouldn't exactly want anyone knowing you were the last of your kind if you could help it. That was way more attention than Knuckles could have wanted, especially if he was unused to talking to people. With a practiced lift, 4 pairs of hands all helped Sonic to his feet. His legs felt wobbly and useless, even as his arm was helpfully slung over one of the voices shoulders.

"Typical meathead like him brutalizing a hero like that. The nerve of some people!" This voice was to his left, and far more rough than the other three. Sonic could tell he had passion, even if it seemed heavy-handed.  
"Can it, Deux." Amidst this friendly banter, Sonic began falling back to that inky black void, sinking further into its recesses. He didn't want to go back. He must've made some kind pathetic noise, because all attention was focused on him immediately after.

Sonic felt a couple of light slaps to his cheek. Not enough to cause any kind of harm, but enough to get his dull green eyes to snap awake long enough to gaze into those blue and yellow orbs cast downward.  
"Stay with me, Sonic. Where's your room at?" Sonic had enough strength in him to let out a couple words, right before he felt like dying again. Apparently it was enough information for the four strangers, because he was picked up, hoisted over what he assumed to be the biggest of the bunch, and carried like a fireman might carry someone, arm and leg secured while the other two dangled down the strangers back, with one powerful arm holding him down atop a pair of soft shoulders adorned by black fur.

Sonic passed out. He dreamt of nothing.

Sonic awoke with a startled gasp, sitting up in a hurry. A cloth had been lain upon his head, falling unceremoniously into his lap with a wet plop. The cool rag, combined with the chilly air of a nearby air conditioning unit nearby were the first things he noticed, even as the room spun and shook. He felt like throwing up again. He was pretty sure his stomach was empty now, with the way it suddenly began yelling at him for sustenance. He ignored it.

The first thing Sonic noticed was how he didn't have his shoes on. That was weird by itself, because he never took them off unless he was specifically going to bed. They were custom-made, and thus, one of a kind. To simply take them off and leave them around somewhere was unlike Sonic, so he was already worried, despite feeling much, much better than he had... uh, however long ago it was. The last thing he remembered was a pair of hands on his waist, and... the rest of what happened ran together into a blurry mess, like one too many games of Catan where he would harvest nothing but wheat. That was aggravating all on his own, and he was even more irritated he somehow remembered Catan existed at this very moment. Focus, Sonic.

Slapping his cheeks, Sonic swung both legs off of the bed, only to immediately regret it once his face hit the hard carpeted floor of his hotel room. Vertigo could be an absolute bastard when it wanted to be. He just could not figure out why he was unbalanced. Normally, being able to balance on something precarious was easy-peasy. Being able to stand upon a tack on one foot while it's teetering atop a janga tower was one thing, but he damn well didn't trust his legs, and they sure didn't want to cooperate with him. That was a bad thing, and he would rectify it.

Or he would, had a somewhat taller jackal woman not suddenly entered the room with two glasses firmly secured in each fist. When she didn't spot the blue hedgehog resting in the bed, but instead admiring the carpet with his face, she let out an amused chuckle. Placing both glasses onto the nightstand next to the bed, she began helping Sonic sit up, grabbing underneath his shoulders to more easily lift him onto the edge of the mattress.

Sonic didn't object a step of the way. He was far too tired to even complain getting picked up like a kid, like how his dad used to whenever he wore himself out on a playground.

"I leave to get something to drink for maybe half a minute, and you go faceplanting." Mirth tinted the jackal womans voice as she stood by the nightstand, hand on her hip and cocked to one side.

Sonic eyed her warily, raising an eyebrow in abject suspicion. A quick glance around the room told Sonic nothing was missing, but that didn't mean this person wasn't up to something. He was never this naturally suspicious, but feeling half dead put every one of his senses on high alert. That headache of his was still around as well, causing his already thin patience to turn vapor thin.

"And just who are you?" He asked, reaching over to get one of the glasses of water, to soothe his sore throat. "I didn't give anyone my keycard. Last thing I remember was passing out somewhere near Bingo Highway."

The woman nodded, pursing her lips in thought.  
"You looked quite ill, so me and my boys brought you back here. Least we could do, especially after you put on such a great show at the tournament."

Sonic grimaced. The jackal lady must've noticed, because she chuckled again, taking her own glass for a sip.  
"Relax, hon. It was a hell of a fight. I don't think anyone could've seen it coming. Anyone with more than one braincell could see you were having trouble near the end. No one's gonna blame ya."

That wasn't it... but Sonic wasn't about spill his guts to some stranger. Instead, he looked back up at the tall girl, green eyes looking into her yellow ones.  
"You mentioned you and your boys; who do you mean? Who brought me back here?"

The lady paced the room a bit, sipping at her water every so often, staring at nothing in particular as she patrolled a path, from Sonic, to the door and back. Her form seemed relaxed, so she wasn't on guard, or even worried about possible danger. Something about her told Sonic she was more than capable of holding her own.

"Uno, Deux, Quatre, Zero, and me, Trois."

Zero? Kind of a silly name, though Sonic kept that to himself.  
"Well, thanks. I hope you can tell them they've got my gratitude. No telling what might've happened if I had been left on the sidewalk."

The jackal- or Trois, as she called herself- waved a hand, smiling good naturedly.  
"Think nothing of it. Consider it repayment for putting some damn good fights. That's what we all agreed on. Well... that and I thought I should stick around, and made sure you at least woke up."

Sonic, for the first time in the last few hours, responded with his own chuckle. It felt good to laugh, especially now.  
"Thanks but, Repayment? You make it sound like I owe money."

Trois spun on her heel, giving a little salute and a wink.  
"It comes with being a professional mercenary team!"

Sonic had to do a double take at that. Those jackals, the same ones he saw briefly at the tournament lobby... they were mercenaries? It made sense, given the grand prize was supposed to be something expensive. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he didn't expect a mercenary to be cute and bubbly, especially with those torn red pants, green top, and Sonic was somewhat sure he saw a few scars around her nose and cheeks.

Although Trois acted cute, Sonic was sure there was far more beneath the surface. How much of it was an act, he couldn't tell, yet he was thankful all the same.

"I see." He responded cooly, right before finishing glass of ice water, with a chilly sigh following.  
"i appreciate the support, but I oughta be fine now."

A softer smile creaked onto Trois's muzzle, nodding. She can leave knowing she did a job well done. But first...

Walking back to the kitchen, Sonic saw her leave, rummaging through one of the drawers, looking for something. Sonic was about to ask just what it was she needed, but any questions he had only increased when he saw she came back with a black pen.

Any further questions he might've had died in his throat as soon as she began pulling off his left glove, fingers tugging at the wrists, letting the chilly air touch the palm of his hand. Sonic shivered just a little, but relented when her own, warmer hand grasped the back of the limb, turning it over so his palm was facing up.

Without a word, she began writing on it. Sonic wasn't sure what was happening. She did smell quite nice, though. Like... cherries?

As soon as she was done, Trois tossed the pen onto the nightstand, as she began walking towards the door and out of Sonic's room. Sonic brought his hand up to inspect just what it was she decided to deface it with.

'Trois the jackal'  
and right beneath that was a series of numbers.

Sonic felt a heat rise to his cheeks. Looking up, the hedgehog spotted the jackal, who was half out of his door now, one hand on the knob. She gave him a wink, along with a thin, cute smile.

She closed the door with a soft click.  
  
_

A habit born of his childhood to wake himself up, Sonic began pacing around the perimeter of his bed four times in a row. It was only after this little ritual did he decide it was time to go.

Sonic slowly grabbed the hem of a pilots jacket from his dufflebag, pulling it free from his select few belongings he brought on this trip to Casino Nights. It was a brown bomber jacket with a fur collar and a bronze zipper, as well as a few patches along the left arm, mostly depicting family emblems passed down through the ages. Sonic wasn't normally sentimental, but he always admired the gold rings and wings adorning most of them. One of his favorites had a pair of sharp golden wings attached to a ring, sitting behind a red banner with the word "Freedom" on it. That was the large one on the back.

He couldn't explain why. The jacket was the last thing his father had ever given him before he disappeared five years ago. The letter that came with the box said all it needed to say.

"You'll grow into it."

It was only recently that he had dug it out of his closet after his... altercation with Eggman in space. Some part of him, even now, felt cold to his core, as if he might freeze if he didn't take precautions against the hellishly supernatural chill ghosting over his back.

Throwing it on one arm at a time, Sonic zipped it up halfway, relishing in the warmth the heavy jacket brought him. It weighed him down slightly, but that was fine. He didn't plan on going anywhere fast, but to the nearby airport, where his biplane, the Tornado, was stored. He was going to leave the resort behind and...

Well, he'd figure it out.

Zipping his dufflebag closed, Sonic hoisted it over his shoulder, fastening the strap and walking from the room. He'd give the keycard to the receptionist and be on his way. He wouldn't give much more than a curt "thanks" and toss it on the counter, quickly going outside and melting into the crowds.

Flashing lights and music greeted him once more, with marquis signs depicting colorful words and advertisements. Sonic thought about getting a drink, but decided against it. He wasn't so far gone that he was going to indulge in any debauchery, even if he was very sure a bartender might give him one on the house just for being there.

The thought of that even occuring sent a scowl over his muzzle. Why should he be treated any different? Ridiculous.

Picking up the pace, made his way towards the airport. He'd get out of there and figure out what to do next. What that something was, was entirely lost on him, but he'd aimlessly wandered before, and there was plenty of the world to see still.

It only took a few minutes for Sonic to sign the requisite forms needed to get his plane out of the hanger he rented and a quick scan of his passport before he was on his way towards Hanger 18, taking a brisk walk across the runway towards it.

What he didn't expect to find, was a red echidna sitting atop a crate near the hanger neighboring his.

With curiosity getting the better of the hedgehog, he made his way towards Knuckles, who was looking nonplussed and contemplative. He had a new hat sitting on his head as well.

"Knux!" Sonic called, giving a wave with the hand that wasn't holding the dufflebag to his shoulder. Knuckles looked around, snapped out of whatever he was thinking, before spotting Sonic and giving a somewhat confused wave back, as the blue blur walked over.

"What's with the hat?" Sonic asked, looking up at Knuckles sitting casually on top of a large, wooden crate marked 'EXPRESS'. Knuckles shrugged, while his elbow sat atop his knee, tan muzzle placed inside of his boxing-glove like palm. It was a brown, outback style hat with a purple band and three star buttons along it, all a deep blue color surrounded by a red circle.

"You like it? The announcer wouldn't let me leave without claiming some kind of prize, so I took that purple hybrids hat. Didn't give it up without a fight, though, and especially since he and his goons were the one that took the Master Emerald, I didn't mind taking something of his as compensation." Knuckles recalled with a faint smile, doffing the brim just a bit.  
"It keeps my head cool, at least. Real nice to have, since I'm used to sitting in the shade on Angel Island."

Sonic let out a stifled laugh, bringing a fist to his mouth.  
"I'd say you look good in it. Really brings out the purple in your eyes."  
"Hey, thanks man."  
Sonic meant that sarcastically, but he did look quite handsome in a hat regardless of what he felt.

"What're you doing in the airport, hedgehog?" Knuckles suddenly asked, causing Sonic to begin gesturing vaguely, eventually deciding on just depositing said hand into his pocket. He was a bit jittery, even as fatigue plagued him, and it showed.  
"I'm a pilot by trade. I've got a plane stored at this hanger." Knuckles nodded, taking in this info.

"That so? I didn't take you for one, given the speed you've got with your legs." Knuckles didn't sound hostile, but more teasing. There wasn't any bad blood between the echidna and the hedgehog, even after their brief scuffle on Angel Island, and even after that little fiasco back at the HardLight Arena. Knuckles knew deep down that something wasn't right right Sonic, but he wasn't one to pry. He was a warrior and a guardian first. Anyone that might've been able to help Sonic that Knuckles knew died sometime ago. It wouldn't do to bring him up.

Sonic let out a noise of contempt, even if Knuckles didn't mean anything by it.  
"Yeah, if I had a dime for every time I heard that..." Sonic sighed, tightening the strap on his shoulder a little.  
"So? You gonna tell me what you're doing here when I'm almost positive you don't have a plane?"

It was Knuckles turn to blush a bit, sitting up straighter.  
"Well, I mentioned how those hooligans took my Master Emerald, right?" Sonic nodded. "I got it back, but now I'm stuck. I don't have any way of getting back to Angel Island. I got here by going around the Holy Summit."

Right. Sonic remembered the layout of the continent they were on. Casino Nights was a yearly event held in Central City, and the Holy Summit was a mountain that split Central City and Station Square. They were in the southern most tip of the United Federation Zones. Any further south, and they'd be in the Mobian continent. Knuckles very well couldn't carry a giant gemstone across a mountain, through Station Square, and into the Mystic Ruins. That'd take days, or even months.

Angel Islands flight path, when not sitting in the ocean, would travel in an oval-like shape, flying high above the West Ocean, mainly circling around Westside Island, before turning around and flying over Station Square and the Mystic Ruins again. If the Master Emerald wasn't at its shrine...

"Wow, so you gotta get back pretty quick, huh? No telling who might be looking for lost artifacts or whatever, now that everyone knows the island exists."

Knuckles nodded again.  
"Exactly. I'd like to get back as quick as possible, so I've been sitting here looking to get a ride, but so far eveyone keeps turning me down." Sonic stifled another, this time unintentional laugh. Anyone that didn't know who Knuckles was, would just assume he was a hobo. He did look a bit rough around the edges. Would _you_ want to give a plane ride to a homeless looking mole-guy?

Sonic let out a huff from his nose, rubbing at the underside, a though occurring to him just now.  
"Well hey, I'm flying in that direction anyhow. How about I give you and that big rock a lift?" Knuckles scoffed.  
"It's not a rock! It's a very powerful relic created thousands of-" Knuckles spotted the wry, wide smile Sonic was sporting. That toothy grin was mocking him, he was sure of it. Knuckles let the rest of the hot air in his lungs build up within his cheeks instead, letting it all out in one big puff.  
"Yeah, yeah, alright, I'd really appreciate it." The echidna turned away as he said so, hoping Sonic didn't spot the embarassed flush on his cheeks.

"Where's the Master Emerald anyway? I don't see it nearby, and I doubt you'd wanna just leave it lying around a crowded place."  
Knuckles, turning back to face Sonic, held a clever smile, looking rather proud of himself for his ingenuity. He pat the crate a few times, crossing a leg in triumph.

"In this box!"

_  
It took some macgyvering, but the dynamic duo managed to rig the crate the Master Emerald was sitting in to the Tornado. It looked rather ridiculous, having the crate sitting on top of the wing, in the middle, fastened with rope, but it did the job. Sonic would just have to make sure to fly fairly straight, because the weight difference was a little harder to handle than he thought.

Sonic and Knuckles made it back safely to Angel Island, however. It was an uneventful journey, and for once Sonic didn't mind that nothing happened. He was honestly really appreciative of Knuckles lackadaisical attitude as they had their ride. Neither of them really spoke to the other. Just a comfortable silence with a quiet, smooth ride. He figured Knuckles would have been ecstatic to talk to someone. At least, Sonic thought he would be. Being stuck for however many years, by yourself, on an island considered by most of the world to not even exist, would have made anyone go a little more than mad and starved for social interaction, but it seemed that the echidna was more stubborn than anything else. Was he really okay with being alone for the rest of his life?

Sonic wondered what it'd be like if he was in his shoes. Alone. No friends, no family... and no one knowing or wanting anything to do with you. Sonic thought about that question a lot, as he flew through the darkening blue skies of Mobius, with nothing but the subtle drone of his bi-planes engines, and Knuckles gentle snoring in the seat behind him.

Sonic didn't like the answer.

It was only a few hours later, did the duo land on a long strip of grass covered in a field of white, powdery snow. They had landed near the center lake of the whole island. This was the same location Sonic was in all those months ago. The only difference between then and now, was that there was no giant, deadly space station sitting in the middle. A few hastily made cranes and scaffolding structures remained, jutting from the crystal blue waters. Maybe they were a testament to the doomsday they heralded, or maybe Knuckles left them there as a grave marker for the ancient prophecy that came and went. Sonic would never know.

Hopping out of the plane and along its hull, Knuckles began undoing the ropes holding the crate down, opening the lid as a few nails keeping it in place popped out in random directions. Reaching inside, Knuckles grabbed both sides of the Master Emerald, holding it above his head and kicking the crate off of the plane, sending the poor box tumbling down the hill and splashing into the water, where it started inoccuosly floating nowhere in particular.

Leaning on the side, letting his arm hang down, Sonic looked down at Knuckles hopping off the wing and onto the snowy earth beneath them.

The Master Emerald seemed to shine brighter just by being in the same vicinity of the island. Everything had its place. He was glad to see it back home. It was then that Knuckles suddenly chose to speak up.

"Y'know Sonic, it's getting kind of late. I might not know much, but I got a feeling night time flying isn't the best thing to do." Sonic looked up at the sky. There wasn't a single cloud up there. It only let the sun and the moon dance together, creating an orange and purple wash of colors, layering on top of each other, as the sun slowly set behind the mountain of the island, casting a dark shadow over Sonic and Knuckles, stars gently twinkling overhead.

He was right. Flying to... nowhere, wouldn't be very smart. Looking back down, Sonic let out a coy smile.  
"You inviting me to a slumber partey, big guy?"

Knuckles tilted his head to the side, innocent purple eyes regarding Sonic with a confused stare.  
"What the heck is a slumber party?"

Sonic would have laughed if he were in any a better mood. As it was, he couldn't make fun of Knuckles for being so innocent. Instead, Sonic reached down, underneath the seat of his plane, to reach the dufflebag he'd stored there, right before jumping out. He gestured to his side with a little flourish.

"Lead the way."

The genuine smile that Knuckles gave back gently broke Sonic's heart.

Before they did anything else, Knuckles wanted to get the emerald back onto its shrine, so Angel Island could go back to its peaceful solitude into the sky. Sonic got to witness firsthand the ritual needed. It wasn't just placing the Master Emerald back into it's resting place, but it also required an incantation; one that Knuckles knew like the back of his hand. Knuckles slowly placed the large emerald into its socket. Sonic almost couldn't hear it, but he was sure there was a tiny click as it slid a little into the stone shrine the duo were standing on.

Sonic stood a little behind Knuckles, his bag sitting at his feet, and both hands placed within his pockets. Knuckles stood in front of the Emerald, holding out both hands, closing his eyes. This oughta be a show.

_The servers are the 7 Chaos..._

Sonic's blood ran cold, replaced by ice water. The Master Emerald's multiple facets reflected, seemingly on instinct. An ethereal glow began forming at the center, slowly overtaking the darkness of the night sky and the shrine itself.

_...Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart._

The seven pillars surrounding the shrine began lighting one by one, a soft, almost gentle fire going ablaze atop each one. Sonic didn't see any kind of sconces as they entered the area. Where was that fire coming from?

Any questions he had were cut short, as a rumble formed at his feet. Was that an earthquake? Couldn't be. The island wasn't on any natural landmass. Distant sounds of ancient rocks and the plates within them began shifting back and forth. It felt like the entire world was shaking apart!

_The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos._

Before Sonic knew what was happening, the emerald shined ever brighter, emitting a brief pillar of light into the sky. It went away as quickly as it came. Winds shifted the trees around them, as leaves and pebbles began spinning above them. Wind? The air was still only moments ago.

It took all of Sonic's remaining strength not to topple over as the island began rushing into the sky once more. He was still weak all over, the ache in his limbs forcing his hands to scramble for purchase upon one of the broken pillars near the walkway to the emerald just to keep steady. Knuckles, though? Remained firmly rooted to the spot.

When the rumbling finally stopped, Sonic felt a tad lightheaded. They must've been miles high into the sky by now.

When it seemed like it finally stopped, and nature stopped raging for that moment, content with its tantrum, Knuckles turned around to face Sonic. The echidna held a serene look, relaxed of the stress he must've been feeling that entire month. He almost looked like a different person, with those sharp eyes softening.

"After I check out the island for any intruders... wanna go get something to eat?"

Sonic didn't have enough time to respond, because his stomach answered for him.

It only took about an hour to check out the entirety of the island. Either he was far quicker than he let on, or he had an extremely convenient way of traveling around the island that Sonic didn't know about. Sonic had made sure during that time, that the Tornado was still intact. There had been some snow covering it now, but it wasn't a big deal. Either way, after Knuckles was positive the island was safe and secure once again, he led Sonic deeper into the Marble Garden, where a large stone monastery was hidden amongst the great forest south of the snow peaked mountains.

Vines grew all over the structure, reclaimed by nature. The innumerous trees gave the building a good cover, as foliage shielded much of the sky overhead. Even better, as night time had fully fallen by the time they would approach the entrance. Knuckles had grabbed a lantern, flicking on some kind of switch to activate a subtle blue flame at its base, gently flickering in a direction and staying that way. The flame itself was encased within an old glass housing, with a wood structure around it. Why wasn't the wood catching fire? And to even get a blue flame, it had to be extremely hot. The more Sonic thought about it, the more it just seemed bizarre to him.

Walking up to one of the nondescript walls of the Marble Monastery, Knuckles pressed his hand into a seemingly random portion of the wall, letting a hidden panel sink slightly. Stone moved against stone, as hidden mechanisms worked together to reveal a passage inward.

Sonic followed closely. It would be embarrassing to get lost now of all times.

"Welcome to my home. Make yourself comfortable."

Sonic scoffed lightly holding his dufflebag near his ankles, hanging in his fist.  
"You're being awfully nice, don't you think?"  
Knuckles shrugged, walking further into the monastery. Most of the room was darkened, with a few small torches around the corners to really keep it from being pitch dark.

"You helped me get the emerald back not once, but twice, and even gave me a ride home. Far as I'm concerned, that makes you an ally." Sonic would have contended with that logic, but he was far too tired for a debate. He just wanted to get something in his stomach and kick back for a bit. Besides, he didn't have anything urgent to do.

Unsure of what to do just yet, Knuckles left Sonic standing in place, going towards another section of wall that held some kind of blue orb inside of a metal, gold trimmed mantle. Knuckles swiped his hand over its surface a few times, and almost immediately, flames sproted amongst multiple sconces lining the walls. A faint, iridescent orange glow began illuminating more sections of the room they occupied.

In mere moments, what looked to be a tiny hideaway suddenly became what it really was: shadows transformed the inky blackness, peeling away the sheet of darkness to reveal massive bookcases, lined head to toe to wall with various books, scrolls and items of varying importance.

The monastery seemed more like a library to Sonic. He wouldn't admit it, but his heart skipped a beat. All of these books!

For Knuckles, this was just home. This was his sanctuary. It suddenly dawned on Sonic the importance of being invited to such a place. He felt small. He felt like he was in a strange, yet warm land.

Following Knuckles with his eyes, he spied him moving across the room, to what he could only assume was a shrine. It had stones placed about it, including an incredibly ancient looking urn lined with symbols Sonic barely recognized as symbols of ancient echidna dialect. Sonic wasn't as well versed in history as his uncle or his mother, but he recognized a few of the symbols. One of them meant 'afterlife.'

Sonic assumed Knuckles went to pray to someone that was no longer in his life. Maybe his father, or a mentor? He decided to keep quiet, regardless.

Looking around, Sonic spotted a rather comfortable looking mat made from fur and cloth, situated into a far corner by one of the bookshelves. Across from that, there seemed to be a chest sitting on top of a bowl inside of another mantle, but this one looked far less extravagant. Instead, there was a cool mist flowing from the bowl, around the chest and onto the floor.

Walking over to the chest, Sonic throw his bag near the fur carpet, before opening it up with a little flip of the latch keeping it secure. Inside, he found tons of fruit of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. His stomach growled again, but Sonic swatted his fist into it to keep quiet.

Taking a few pieces of fruit into a cloth sitting nearby, Sonic felt each one. They were all really, really cold. Why?

Taking a peek under the chest full of food, he saw a few of those weird crystals he spotted so many months ago in Lava Reef. These crystals sure were strange, but whatever they were doing, they were keeping the water chilly, and by extension, refrigerating the fruit inside. He wasn't about to complain getting free food either.

Walking back over to the fur carpet and his bag, Sonic sat down with the fruits in his lap. Sitting next to the book case, Sonic pulled out a random tome near his level, plopping down onto the fur carpet. Opening the ancient spine of the book, hearing that telltale creak of old leather left a primal satisfaction lingering in his chest.

It was only an hour later did Knuckles finally decide to check in on how Sonic was doing before he decided to call it a night. He knew the hedgehog could be rather rowdy, but something about his nature deep within seemed to be the exact opposite. He knew when it was time party, and when it was time to relax. Knuckles was thankful he had someone a little more mature on his hands. Saying he was worried he had a hyperactive delinquent on his hands would be an understatement.

Well. Sonic was. He was just a little more aware than most.

Rounding the corner of the bookcase, Knuckles saw Sonic embroiled in a rather large tome, several half eaten fruit sitting beside him as he poured over the contents by torchlight. Knuckles eyes drifted towards the picture on the cover; a crudely drawn Chaos Emerald.

"Find something interesting?" His voice broke the silent fog between the two. Sonic's eyes snapped up, regarding Knuckles with a questioning stare. What had he found?

"Knuckles you..." Sonic started, but kept his mouth firmly pressed into a thin line. Knuckles raised an eyebrow.  
"You've heard of the Chaos Emeralds, right?" Knuckles nodded slowly, placing a hand onto the bookcase as his gloved hand passed over several spines of varying sizes on the shelf.

"I would hope so. I am the last guardian of the Master Emerald, you know."

Sonic didn't laugh in response. He knew of the world and it's many mysteries, but what would he find by unearthing them? Apparently he'd found something displeasurable within this particular tome.

"Why? What did you find?" Sonic was hesitant to answer, placing the book down in his lap, but keeping his thumb inside the page, to keep his spot in the book.

"Sonic?" Sonic looked up again, with a more resolute expression.  
"The Chaos Emeralds... they're basically the manifestation of the universes power, yeah?" Knuckles nodded. This was basic knowledge to any guardian.

"What happens when someone uses all seven at once?"

Knuckles wished he could say dread didn't course over his back.

"Well," he began "Using all seven emeralds at once isn't exactly... a bad thing? But I think that's only when all seven of their appointed users enact their power at once. I do know that using all seven by one person is supposed to be extremely bad."

Sonic stared at Knuckles, green eyes wide, but looking no less afraid or even confused. It was rather creepy.

"Uh, I've heard stories of the gods punishing people for using them that way. I know of one major story that was recorded at the peak of its infamy."

Sonic's silence urged Knuckles forward. To say Knuckles was unsettled would be putting it lightly.

"The Green Herald in the Fourth Civilization betrayed the other six Heralds. No one was sure why, but he attacked a few of the others, upsetting the balance and causing chaos. He took all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, and wished for... something."

"What did he wish for?"

Knuckles shrugged.  
"No one knows. He disappeared soon afterwards. Which, according to records, is extremely odd, because the Green Herald in that time was recorded as being their greatest warrior. To suddenly vanish like that, as well as attacking the other Heralds and stealing the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckle shook his head. It was a story he was familiar with. Athair had given him rigorous lessons on the culture of their people, and events surrounding them. He still didn't quite get it, but he knew of it.

Sonic looked down at the book once more.

"Actually," Knuckles started, bringing Sonic's attention back to him "the Green Herald left behind a tablet. It was the last thing he left behind before vanishing." Knuckles walked around the bookcase again, to the other side. Opening up a little chest, he fished out the contents; a small tablet with parchment stretched over the surface. Walking back over to Sonic, Knuckles handed the tablet to him, letting him see it by torchlight.

The handwriting was extremely crude, like the writer wasn't well versed in it, or just didn't bother practicing penmanship. The ink itself was faded, and the paper it was printed upon was yellow and cracked in places, indicating its extreme age. Sonic's eyes scanned over the entire tablet, but all he found was the same phrase, repeated over and over, and over again.

"The will of Argus, must escape Argus."

Sonic wasn't sure what to make of that. It sounded like nonsense. What the heck was an Argus? With the way it was phrased, it sounded like a person _and_ a place. He'd heard of cities being named after people, but something about this felt different. It felt... desperate, especially as the phrase grew more haggard and wild the further it continued down the page, until the ink scrawled completely off of the page into a thick line. Except at the very bottom. There was one more phrase.

"Stay alone. Stay alive."

Sonic looked up at Knuckles, who only regarded Sonic with a steady, firm gaze.

"I'd wager the Chaos Emeralds had something to do with him going mad." He finally spoke. Sonic could only agree.

"Sounds like it. Doesn't really sit well with me." Sonic looked over at his dufflebag. He hadn't told anyone this, but nestled amongst what few clothes he had brought in case he ever needed them, were the Chaos Emeralds, neatly packed together into a bundle. Sonic wasn't sure what to do with them, ever since he'd defeated Eggman three months ago. He'd kept them safe and nearby. Given their destructive power, he didn't trust anyone else with them, and hearing these stories only reinforced this further.

But he couldn't keep them with him forever. Something deep inside of his soul told him that it was wrong. He'd tried to ignore it, but he obviously couldn't anymore. Not after hearing this.

"Have you placed the emeralds back?"

Sonic blinked a few times.

"I'm sorry?"  
Knuckles repeated himself, sounding a little more terse.  
"I said, have you put the emeralds back into their shrines?" Shrines? What shrines? It only just then dawned on the blue hedgehog what it was Knuckles was referring to.

The Gaia Temples. Those seven wonders of the world scattered across the globe, each interned into ancient bedrock and guarded by tribes and clans, heralde through history and as ancient as dirt was constant. Reaching over to his bag, Sonic grabbed at one of the emeralds. He happened to pick up the purple one.

Knuckles suddenly felt a strong pull towards the object, as time seemed to stop momentarily, only to resume just as quickly. What was that? He'd heard of Heralds being chosen the emeralds randomly and arbitrarily, but... only Heralds could feel the pull of a Chaos Emerald. That's what all of the records and notes interned in this monastery said.

Ridiculous. He was the Guardian of the Master Emerald; the very anathema to the Chaos Emeralds, an ancient relic designed to nullify and control them. He probably just felt some kind of residual pulse or something. He was the guardian after all.

Shaking his head, Knuckles pointed at the gem, hearing Sonic speak once more.

"I hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it, it would be the right thing to do. No one deserves to have all of these things at once. That's just too much power for anyone to have."

Sonic looked back to Knuckles, sitting up straight as he put the emerald back into his dufflebag.

"First thing tomorrow, I'm going to go on a trip."

Knuckles didn't have to ask a question to get the answer he was looking for.

"I'm going to put the emeralds back where they belong."


	2. Bigger Guns Nearby

A sharp intake of hitched breath. Jade eyes squinted, attempting to focus on something, anything in front of him. Shades of obsidian coiled in the rich backdrop, as the sky coalesced, into what he could only describe was a murky shade of purple that just made him sick to his stomach.

It stretched out, over the horizon. There was no end to it in sight. The world seemed to be consumed by this suffocating blanket. To even look at the sky felt wrong and unnatural, something he thought he would have never had to deal with.

A poisonous heat collected at his back, coursing over his spines in a long, steady wave. His feet, rooted the sand as they were, tenuously collected what little nerve they had left, to slowly pivot on the spot, to get a glimpse at this horror no doubt lingering just beyond his view. He was met not with a man, or even himself, but a shape he could barely recognize as his own. A silent inferno raged around it, parting just as easily as the Red Sea did for Moses.

In the center, a figure, strong in stature, with a determined, aggressive gait, slowly approaching with swinging arms and closed fists. Furious, bloodshot eyes with cracked crimson irises pierced right through, gazing into his mind and his soul.

"What are you afraid of?" It spoke in his voice, but it was not him. It held an unsettling reverb that clawed at the bundled terror wound tightly inside of his chest.

No sound came out of his throat. His vocal chords were missing.

The figure wreathed in golden flame cracked a sickening, toothy smile in a maw full of razor sharp fangs, like a series of gleaming knives looking for his next meal. The figure kept approaching, even as he could not move predator playing with its prey. It spoke once more, louder than ever, the reverberations causing his ears to ring and his stomach to lurch.

"Impossible." said the shape. "I have no name."

Sonic awoke with gasp, cold sweat matting his fur down along his back, shoulder and neck. Dilated jade eyes darted this way and that, looking for any evidence of the nightmare he'd just witnessed, chest heaving in an attempt to control his breath and already unnatural heartbeat.

When his mind finally caught up with his body, signaling he wasn't in danger and that the stress inflicted upon him could finally unwind, hot bile rose to his throat, forcing Sonic to roll onto the cold stone tile of the Marble Monastery, so he didn't throw up all over the obscenely fluffy bed he'd passed out on last night, tucked away into a random corner of the library as he poured over ancient books and tomes and tablets in an effort to understand and learn everything he could.

For now this time, all he vomited was fruit. No wonder he had a stomach ache, because from what little he could see from blurry eyes filled with floating stars, it remained half-digested. Looking at it almost made him throw up twice. At the very least, his stomach wasn't causing a ruckus anymore.

Sitting up to his knees, the blue hedgehog wiped at his mouth, dragging his forearm across his lips, sighing, closing his eyes in an attempt to recollect himself; he wouldn't be of any use to himself, or what he had planned for that day if he wasn't stable, in any sane sense of the word. The same, annoying chill from yesterday began weaving through his muscles, forcing a shiver to arc down his back, hissing slightly as his shoulders shook and limbs ached, tensing painfully. Reaching over to the big, cozy rug he'd called a bed, Sonic's fingers scrambled for the hem of his jacket once more, pulling it toward his cold frame, shrugging on the familiar weight once again to beat back the frost in his bones.

Relief set in, once he got his back spines to fit through the holes. Everything had its place, and he could finally start his day... once he cleaned up the mess on the floor.

It was only after he managed to find a rag and some water in a bowl, and walking around the rug four times to really wake himself up, did Sonic take a look at the bookshelf he'd occupied for the night. A lot of the books upon the shelves spoke of incidents over the millennia, most of which duly noted events and occasions that were of repeat significance, talking of domed hills filled with beautiful nature and creatures, and other times, talking of construction for what modern civilization regarded as mere ruins. The Monastery held countless years of history, and Sonic wouldn't really be able to read it all. It left a disappointing pit in his already-empty stomach.

Many sections of other bookshelves lining the walls held numerous private letters directed to family, most notably other Echidna clans. Many of the entries that weren't letters spoke to their nature of diaries, with the varied penmanships held within. Some entries small and uniform, others big and hurried, or simply with an unsteady hand versus a practiced one. Some scrolls and tomes were simply records of property or transactions. The malaise Sonic had felt when he read even simple reciepts between ancient merchants, was nothing more than a quiet realization into the history long past, lost like tears in rain.

One journal in particular, was wrapped with a faded red sash, bound in a roughworn fabric that had seen better days. The spine was well-worn, speaking to its constant use, and the stained, almost yellow pages within holding bold text lined in uniform spacing. At first, Sonic had simply thought it to be a manual, or even a record, but it spoke more personally the further he read on. An immaculate drawing shaped in feathered ink featured a Chaos Emerald on the forepage, splotched in dull maroon stains. Combined with the red sash and the personal nature of the journal, it dawned on Sonic that he had discovered the personal diary of the Red Herald.

He hadn't told Knuckles, and he certainly didn't say anything when he quietly deposited the journal into his dufflebag, amongst a couple other things he found personally interesting inside the vast annals of knowledge before him. Normally, he would have asked to take these things, but he was feeling particularly moody this morning.

It was easy enough to find his way out of the Monastery, even if he had accidentally found the front entrance, and not the secret back entrance Sonic and Knuckles had taken last night. It was probably better this way. The section of the Marble Garden Sonic had explored beforehand was all grass and ruins amidst steep hills and pillars. This time, as he coasted around the front, which happened to be much closer to the lake than he realized, he was greeted with a crumbling grey cobblestone walkway, lined with broken arches, surrounded by crystal clear waters tinted a faint turquoise. The morning sun made the water sparkle, so clear and vibrant, bits of light bounced off his person. The calm and serene nature instilled a sense of belonging that Sonic hadn't felt for months.

Walking through ancient history like this, always gave him a sense of calm that only running ever gave him as well. To say he was only at peace when he was fighting or running wouldn't be an untrue statement, and times like these offered self-reflection he otherwise never afforded the chance to think upon. He couldn't help but wonder about the daily lives of the long-gone echidna populace, as he passed by what seemed to be a center for gatherings, with wide open spaces and domed ceilings, hung with faded banners from archpoint to archpoint, lined with scrawling turned illegible after several millennia of neglect. Ruined balconies, rubble making for makeshift staircases, gazebos and archways... it was all masterfully crafted. The fact that most of it was still standing spoke of its testament to quality.

Coming out of the front of this communal structure, Sonic walked the bend around it, past the lake it was connected to and back into the forest he was so familiar with by now. Making his way back to the Tornado was a piece of cake, as he'd landed by the base of the mountain at the focal point of the island, and the centermost lake.

Trekking up the hill and further on, snow began crunching underfoot, the incline offering nary a reprieve for thought. The closer he got to the Tornado, the stronger his desire to just leave pulled at him. It was only after he'd climbed into the pilots seat, and tucked his bag beneath him, did he look out, towards the lake nearby, eyes scanning the abandoned structures Eggman left behind during his initial, failed launch. They rose like great totems, becoming sun-bleached and rusty by oxidization. They were a stark reminder of what was at stake back then. If asked about it, Knuckles would say that he needed some kind of testament to the great prophecy of a heralded doomsday, and what better marker than the one signaling the start of desperate insanity?

_Kazas and I visited Gigan today. We took the coastal trail, along the Shui Village path. The oriental-inspired buildings built by the ancient Babylonian's are rather impressive, although it is nothing compared to the technological achievement they christened the Babylon Garden. I have seen this garden, and I would rather call it a flying fortress than any bastion for flowers. Our arrival at Gigan is no coincidence either, as we were told of some item, told of it's name as the Gigan Device, that could ostensibly bend gravity to its will. Kazas gave skepticism to its power, but relented when we witnessed it for ourselves. He expressed exasperation at our duty as Heralds to observe threats and give a measured response, saying how it was nothing more than a childs plaything concerning the laws of nature. Yet the Babylonians built such a device, so I wonder whether the Babylonian's that came before us ever had good intentions, or if they were simply marooned upon Mobius and tried to replicate their home in some manner. Some called them pirates of the stars, to which end, what do we call a god if not their ability commune with said stars? Tomia told me that the land to the east, Chun-Nan, held similar architectural designs. If the legends of the Dark Gaia rendering them extinct is true, then there is no doubt that they have bred out of existence, and their influence persists to this day. I do wish I could have met them._

Sonic closed the journal, letting go of a sigh he didn't know he was holding. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to find in the Red Heralds journal... maybe some explanation for what he was going through, if nothing else.

Placing the journal back into his dufflebag, Sonic leaned into the bench he was sitting on, craning both arms over the head to relax, stretching his limbs at the shoulders and going languid for just a moment. His first stop on his trip across the world, was South Island, where, for him, it all started.  
South Island was mainly a tourist location, similar to Dolphin Resort on the nearby coast, or the Blue Coast way up in Apotos. When Sonic first left his home on Christmas Island, it was an a vague attempt to search for his father, who disappeared five years prior. He didn't know what he was going to find, and he certainly wasn't expecting to enter the traumatizing journey that would result in him saving the planet from unwitting doom.

Sonic shifted his gaze slightly downward, at the beach some odd amount of meters away. It was there he met the very first person he would come to call friend... although he didn't know if he even deserved that much, or if she still considered him one. He doubted it. With the way her fighting mentor seemed to think it was, and now she did, too.

" _Race you to that island! If you beat me, you'll get your wallet back!"_

She ended up giving it back anyway.

He hadn't realized it until halfway through his trek, but Sonic eventually discovered he was following the same path those months ago, retracing his steps as he looked for the Gaia Temple buried beneath South Island. Most of it was rubble, now. That explosion given by the mighty robot, one of first of many, had destroyed so much of the structure, he was beginning to worry he'd never find it.

If that wasn't bad enough, remnants of Eggman's robots littered the area as well, aimlessly wandering the now ruined Scrap Brain. The Moto-Bugs, the Buzzbombers and so on, all still attacked him, too. They might as well have been ants compared to back then, as they were nothing to Sonic now.

With his dufflebag secured from one shoulder to the opposite hip, Sonic hopped and bounded his way across the ruins, hoping to find the shrine he'd come across by pure accident. Even more saddening, was how this wanton destruction obliterated whatever remained of the people that might have come here, whether they were prayers, or even if it was just a home.

He wasn't sentimental. Why did he care?

It bothered him far more than it should have, and the catharsis normally given to him when he destroyed a robot by kicking or bashing it with a spin attack, just wasn't providing the same rush he felt back then. He was just going through the motions he had so many times before. This was nothing to him.

As Sonic scaled a particularly large pile of rubble, sliding down the other side, a few scratched and burnt Moto-Bugs lingered in the area. Some were destroyed, others were rolling about aimlessly... one in particular loitered around the remains of a large, orange pile of scrap, with bent and crumpled drills.

**_HELP ME! IT HURTS!_ **

Sonic growled. It took him no more than a few seconds to destroy the remaining badniks, speeding through each of the like a deadly pinball. As the little animals inside hopped away in confusion from the smoldering wrecks, the last of the robots looked at him in confused disdain, zeroing in on his target, speeding towards Sonic, crunching dirt and pebbles beneath its single tire.

Hopping up, Sonic brought a mighty stomp upon its head, tearing through the metal like paper.

"He's _gone!_ Why won't you accept that?!" Sonic hissed through barely constrained rage, teeth bared, grinding his foot into the metal carcass before him. Pulling his foot out, Sonic instead, reached into the hole, fingers grasping at its metallic guts, before he found a box among it all. With a furious grunt, his frenzied yanking rewarded him with a small box.

A small box, no bigger than a foot across in width and length, with a blue tinted glass window on all sides, metal trimming every edge. Inside, a complicated host of machinery had wires with sticky pads placed upon the small creature residing within, and several, much smaller boxes inside flashing steadily.

It was a flicky. A small bird indigenous to the islands dotting the planet. Sonic had just pulled out the life-support capsule that was contained within each and every badnik. Why didn't this one pop out like the rest? Was it even aware of what it was doing?

"Why won't you accept that?..." Sonic repeated, in a far more calm and quiet tone than before, as he stared at himself inside the near reflective surface, bloodshot eyes staring right back.  
_

Sonic would have immediately gone back to the airport he landed at, if his stomach hadn't groaned in rebellion. Right, he hadn't eaten today.

Truth be told, he didn't want to. The last few times he had, most of what he'd eaten was just thrown back up. It was becoming a real pain, especially as the memory of the biles sting entered his memory, causing him to unconsciously swallow nothing but air and spit. If he wanted to keep his energy up, as well as have any chance of improving his mood, he would _need_ to eat, whether he liked it or not.

Traveling along the beach from where he exited the cave just like he did last time, Sonic thought about what he would get to fulfill his stomach... but nothing really came to mind. That is, until the familiar scent of cooked chili drifted by him, coupled with the sea breeze, it triggered a memory he'd completely forgotten about until now.

Turning around, Sonic spotted that same, telltale cart he'd ordered his first chilidog of that fateful day, manned by a large, portly human with a zigzagging moustache. He wanted to ignore that delicious scent, but his stomach angrily protested. Flying on an empty stomach would be a bad idea anyway.

Before Sonic did anything else, he'd procured his wallet, opening it to retrieve a few bills from its confines, before slapping them down onto the white surface of the cart. This noise must've been specially tuned to the chilidog vendors ears, because he turned around as soon as the money hit the cart, even above the din of the people enjoying the beach around him, spotting Sonic as he did so.

"Two chilidogs, please." The vendor nodded, but as he was taking the money, he noted there were far more valuable bills handed to him than the asking price for a normal chilidog. He held them up between his fingers, offering it back to Sonic.

"My boy, the asking price for two chilidogs is five dollars a piece. You gave me a twenty!" Sonic leaned slightly on the cart, catching the shade of the umbrella hanging over it, looking down at his feet as he did so.  
"Actually, I still owe you for the last chilidog I asked you to make."

It took a moment, but a lightbulb eventually flashed on, as it dawned on him this was the same hedgehog boy from back then. There weren't many blue hedgehogs, after all.

"Oh! I recognize you." Sonic winced, bracing for impact. "You're that kid on the beach that raced the dolphin girl to Green Hill Zone."

Sonic wasn't sure he heard him right, but he didn't press the matter further. He just scratched his cheek in abject embarrassment.  
"Yeah, that's me. This is also me saying sorry for up and leaving you like that without paying." Sonic pointed at the twenty dollar bill he'd handed to the vendor. For his part, the vendor simply laughed, right before he put the bill away into a box sitting inside the cart.

At that, he began making the chilidogs for Sonic. The process never failed to capture his attention, as grilled hotdogs were pulled with tongs from a rack inside of the cart, and placed upon a soft white bun. Next, came the chili and onions, lovingly spread across the surface, as a mixture of warm sauce, meat and diced onions spilled down the side and into the bun, before it was topped with a pinch of seasoned salt.

Finally, bits of shredded cheddar, to complete the ensemble. The perfect blend of everything nature had to offer. Meat and cheese from animals, onions naturally grown and chopped, topped with seasoning and cooked to a perfect temperature.

When it was finished, Sonic didn't leave any room for doubt, whether he wanted it or not now, because as soon as it was ready to be eaten, he had grabbed the chillidog lightning quick, but holding it gingerly between both hands, sitting atop his fingers. Carefully, he bit down on the first quarter, letting the savory taste of all the blended qualities mix together into perfect food harmony. The subtle snap of grilled hotdog, savoring those juices, and the warm, almost spicy meat and sauce along with it.

Sonic closed his eyes. Nirvana. His stomach audibly growled, hungry for more.

About halfway finished, Sonic glanced over to the vendor and his cart, noting three more chilidogs all wrapped up neatly in tinfoil coated paper decorated with a checker pattern. Sonic was about to protest, yet the vendor held up his hand, shaking his head.  
"I know what you're going to say, so don't. I'm amazed you even bothered to remember that long ago about a silly chilidog. Consider it well earned, my boy."

Sonic wanted to cry.

Sonic had flown back from South Island, over the Holy Summit mountains separating Station Square and Central City, to land at an independent airstrip, so he could refuel his plane and be on his way.

During his younger years, his father used to talk about an airstrip on the outskirts of the bustling city that used to be maintained by smugglers and import companies. It hasn't landed anything larger than a twin-engine osprey, but for something like Sonic's Tornado, it was the perfect size. Maybe it was destiny for Sonic to land at the airstrip, but Sonic never believed in fate, and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

The airstrip itself wasn't much to look at, yet it remained a reliable, steadfast outpost for any air travelings passing over the continent in need of refreshments or refueling. A small area outside of Central City, the Foxglove Outpost as it was called, was a collection of three wide hangers all next to eachother, featuring a wide dirt road for planes to take off and land from. A couple buildings, including a bar, found their home here. Travelers, vagabonds, former airmen or people just looking to get away from it all.

For Sonic, it meant a quick pitstop before heading further east, toward Mazuri, and the famous Savannah Citadel, host to the Gaia Temple just west of that. He only knew of the next temples location based off a series of logs within a manual he'd snagged from the Marble Monastery, talking of basic knowledge any guardian must know before they start their duty for the rest of their life.

Sonic would have asked Knuckles, but he didn't wish to bother him any further than he already had. He also didn't think the Echidna was up for any kind of world adventure. He'd just gotten the Master Emerald back in place, and he'd be damned if he was going to risk it again. Sonic could respect his responsibility and discipline.

Sonic hopped out of his plane, jogging over to the reception building, which was nothing more than a trailer built upon stilts with a small set of stairs leading up to the office. The aged wood creaked beneath his feet as he rose, cracked in places and solid in others. Opening the door to the air conditioned office, Sonic took a number from a ticket counter nearby, taking his seat next to a sleeping desert cat and a relaxed, if worn out looking human in a dusty suit and feathered hair.

At some point during the long wait, the receptionist finally called Sonic's number. It was a simple matter of filling out the requisite forms asking and paying for a refueling, which Sonic paid for up front. He didn't want the hassle of an invoice.

Probably the best for his sanity, because as soon as Sonic walked out of the office, he spotted the one thing that really could have ruined his day. A large, muscular white wolf clad in a sleeveless blue jumpsuit was standing on top of the fuselage, reaching down into the cockpit of the Tornado.

This sight alone brought Sonic's blood to a boil.

"HEY!" Sonic yelled, starting squarely at the wolf, who seemed to react on instinct to the indignant callout, bringing his head up and looking around for the voice. Upon seeing the hedgehog promptly vault the railing, the wolf muttered a curse word and leaped toward the opposite side of the Tornado... and he had Sonic's dufflebag!

Sonic chased after the wolf, jumping over his plane in pursuit of the thief, who seemed to be running toward what looked like a low ride pickup truck- an el camino? It didn't matter, because he'd take back his stuff as fast as possible. The wolf leaped into the passenger seat of the car, screaming at whoever was in the drivers seat to step on the pedal and go. The tires spun to life, grinding up the sand and dirt beneath its tires, kicking up pebbles as it took off in a fishtail. Dammit!

Sonic pushed his legs further, despite the onset fatigue he'd been feeling the last few days, following the el camino onto the paved asphalt road leading further into the land. The el camino picked up speed once it was on properly paved roads. Sonic grit his teeth, leaning forward and place both arms behind him to enter a more streamlined stance. Traveling behind the the car also let him enter a slipstream, giving him less wind resistance to fight against.

He was slowly catching up on the car, even as they passed a mile in length driven. It was only when he was a mere few meters from the car did a head pop out of the open back, looking sleepy and groggy, rubbing at his eyes. It looked like a blue hawk with goggles strapped haphazardly to his forehead. He had to blink a few times just to make sure, but it looked like someone was actually running behind them! Only for him to realize that, yes, a rather furious looking blue hedgehog was _actually_ running up behind the getaway!

"OH fu-!" The car he was riding in hit a bump in the road, causing him to bounce in the back of the el camino, letting out an indignant squawk and smacking the back of his head upon upon the rear windshield, grasping his noggin and groaning.

"Ooogh, fffff, agh, Drago, _Drago!"_ The light blue hawk started yelling, pounding a red gloved fist upon the window. The wolf, who's named appeared to be Drago, slid the middle part of the window aside to berate his partner in crime.

"What?! What is i- IS HE RUNNING BEHIND US?!" Drago's disbelief was palpable as he spotted Sonic keeping pace behind the car. He wasn't as nearly stunned, or concussed as the hawk sitting in the back, because the next moment, a shotgun was passed through the opening, sliding across the hawks shoulder and landing in his lap. His brain caught up with him, and he took a knee, taking aim after racking the pump.

The shotgun unleashed a ferocious blast of buckshot toward Sonic, who barely dodged to the side, avoiding the scatter of pellets. The hawk wasn't used to the kick of the weapon, causing him to fall onto his back in the car. This provided an opening, letting Sonic push himself a bit harder, so he could jump onto the roof of the car. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he'd figure it out. His determination only rose, as fingers gripped the steel roof of the car.

What he didn't expect, was a sudden storm of bullets piercing the roof, creating multiple holes, as Sonic rolled to the side to avoid getting shot, planting one foot on the edge of the backend to support himself, while another fist swung itself into the window of the passenger door, spider-webbing the dusty glass, and sending an inordinate amount of pain, shocking up his arm, with most of the damage being relegated to his knuckles.

He would have continued his assault, was it not for the hawk in the back suddenly using the shotgun as a makeshift club, swinging the wooden stock directly into the back of Sonic's like a baseball bat, causing the stock to shatter into innumerable splinters, and sending an explosion of white stars across Sonic's eyes. This left him stunned just long enough for the wolf to open door and deliver his boot right to Sonic's midsection, knocking the wind out of him, and to send him tumbling off of the road and onto an incline into the arid brush to the side of the road.

Filled with adrenaline and fury, Sonic stood back up climbing up the incline and back onto the road, but as soon as he did, white hot pain seared across the back of his skull, forcing him to stumble to his knees and wince. Reaching back, Sonic felt around beneath his spines, touching the base of his skull, only to be met with a sting unlike anything he'd felt before. Bringing his hand back into view, his normally immaculate white glove was stained a deep crimson.

Everything in that bag was replaceable, except for the Chaos Emeralds... and the journals! If he didn't have those... if he let them get into the wrong hands once again...!

Sonic curled his fist tight, fingers digging into his palm hard enough for each bone to crack. A blood curdling scream was let loose as he pounded the road beneath him.

The run back was a little more difficult than he'd care to admit, but it was the only place he could start from, and he'd be utterly damned if anyone else messed with his stuff, let alone the Tornado. He wasn't sure what he would do if he came back only to find someone stripping it for parts. He might just snap and kill someone. He let go of a dark, wry chuckle at the thought, letting a bit of his fueled anger vent itself.

Getting back to the outpost, the first thing Sonic did was see the local clinic to get some bandages on his skull. It just seemed like he could not get away from being wrapped up in some manner, but he let the dry retort go once the comforting tightness of gauze and medicine soothed the split open wound. He wasn't aware of it until the doctor had pointed it out, but apparently a bullet had grazed his cheek as well.

The thought somewhat unsettled him. He should have been aware of something like that happening, but all he could recollect was anger consuming his every thought, clouding him to the potential danger. He'd barely felt his own fist strike the window, but he was certainly feeling it now, as both his knuckles pulsed. The glove itself was torn up somewhat, and stained with his blood.

Sighing in abject despondency, now that the majority of his rage had subsided, Sonic paid for the bandages, and then bought a little extra, wrapping both hands, throwing both gloves into the nearest trashcan. If anyone asked, he would just say he was a professional boxer.

Asking around the outpost about who the thieves were mostly lead to confused shakes of the head, or just outright didn't have a clue. Just when he'd given up, Sonic was pointed towards a silver lining.

Tucked off to the side between a saloon and a gambling den, sat a simple little building. This building looked nondescript and wholly uninteresting. The most notable part of it was the sign sitting in the window, showing off big, bolded white letters on a black background.

**CHAOTIX DETECTIVE AGENCY**

Detective? Out here?

Screw it. He'd give it a shot.

Opening the door was easy enough, but the inside was just as bad as the outside. Arid, hot and dry. At least there wasn't any sand, but that was hardly an improvement. Closing the door behind him, Sonic peered around the office, taking note of how simple it looked. At the center of the room was a coffee table and two couches on either side. One wall had a row of lockers, and the other had a dartboard and a calender depicting a saucy rabbit woman wearing absolutely nothing upon it.

The biggest thing, and he did mean _biggest_ thing in the room, was an absolutely massive crocodile, reclining back in his chair, with his feet kicked up on the desk, and a newspaper draped over his snout. Just from here, Sonic could tell that the person sitting down had muscles upon muscles, with a broad chest and biceps Sonic was fairly sure could pop open a beer cap if he tried.

Stepping further in, Sonic cleared his throat.

"Whaddya want?" Came the deep, growly reply. "If it's about lost keys or somethin', I ain't interested."

Sonic's lips curled into an unsure line. Who was this guy? Sonic stepped further in, pacing around the dusty wooden floor and gazing around the office. He didn't seem to be interested in dusting in the least bit... or providing any sense of air conditioning for his customers.

"A thief just stole my stuff like half an hour ago. I can't tell where they went or who they were, but I want to find out." At that, the muscular crocodile lifted the newspaper directly off his face, letting an eye gaze out and raise in skepticism.

"Thieves, huh? Well, color me suddenly interested." He was one of those types, huh? Coming closer to the desk, Sonic took a seat upon the wooden chair in front of the crocodile. Being closer now, he could see a few more details in greater capacity. The crocodile had a tattoo of a compass on his left arm, and there was a plaque upon the stained wood desk. It read... Vector.

Sonic looked up at Vector, who seemed to be a little more enraptured, now that he knew he wasn't dealing with a drunkard or a clueless idiot.

"Let's start from the beginning, Mr...?" He asked, pulling open a drawer to take out a pen and a notepad, leaning forward and supporting his weight with his elbows.

"Sonic." Vector blinked a few times, tilting his head to the side to regard the hedgehog with a skeptical glare.  
"Hold on, aren't you the guy who entered that fighting tournament at Casino Nights in Central City?" Sonic near-imperceptively winced at being recognized again. He figured he ought to get used to it. Everyone who bothered to know, would absolutely have seen him either save Mobius... or make a complete jackass out of himself He didn't like either possibility.

"Well, whatever. I don't care one way or another." He started, leaning back in his creaky chair. "Can you tell me about the perps that stole your stuff?"

Sonic recalled to Vector every detail he could. From what he assumed was one of their names, to their methods, and to how they so violently responded in a way that, to Vector, nearly resulted in the death of an innocent civilian. The longer Sonic told him of everything he could, the more Vector's face grew dour, until he was pinching the bridge of his snout and letting go of a great sigh.

"Dammit." He started. "I knew they'd come here sooner or later."  
It was Sonic's turn to narrow his eyes, turning his head a bit to regard Vector with a single eye.  
"They? Who's they?"

Vector stood up, to retrieve the newspaper he'd so callously tossed aside. Picking it up, Vector tossed it again, this time in front of Sonic. The headline upon the bundle of paper, bolded and sensational.

_DEADLY JAILBREAK AT DEVILS GULAG!_

A jailbreak, huh?

"Everything you just described fits a particular group to a tee." Vector started, walking back to side on the edge of the desk. "Drago the Wolf, Predator The Hawk, and I can only assume one of their getaway drivers, probably Larry the Lynx... they're apart of a bigger group called the Destructix. Just a gang of lowlifes that've taken to petty thievery, kidnapping, and armed robbery here in Sand Hill." Vector crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Sounds like a lovely bunch." Sonic replied. "But the longer we sit here, the further they get away with my stuff." And six extremely powerful and ancient artifacts, but Vector didn't need to know about that.

Vector scratched his head, a thought forming.  
"If anything, criminals like them are routine specific and tend to have bad habits. They wouldn't go too far, especially after a stunt like this, because this isn't the first time they've terrorized Sand Hill, and it sure won't be the last if they stay bold like this."

Vector took a long moment, gazing down at Sonic, meeting his expectant stare halfway before finally speaking up.  
"I'll dig around a bit and see what I turn up-"  
"Let me come with you."

This declaration caught Vector off guard. Normally, he'd never say yes in situations like this, but the hedgehog sitting before him looked like a different breed of dangerous all on his own. Something about those eyes. Vector knew, above all else, how to read someone. It was apart of his training as a Radical City police officer.

Those eyes unnerved him. Those were the eyes of fight-craving, bloodlusting maniac. The hedgehog hid it very well, and he may have even behaved himself like a normal person... but deep down, he knew there was something very wrong about Sonic the Hedgehog.

Vector pushed open his door to his office, with Sonic trailing behind him. Turning left, he made his way to the Shortstick Saloon, the bar situated right next to his upstanding detective agency.

As soon as Vector entered the fine establishment for waterhole enthusiasts, the noise of the patrons died down to an uncomfortable silence, as all eyes turned toward the crocodile and the hedgehog standing in the doorway to the bright outside.

"N-now Vector, we don't want any trouble." The bartender was the first to speak. A red and gold scorpion of middling stature, exclaiming an anxious obscenity under his breath. Out of pure habit, and perhaps to act as his own security blanket, the scorpion thumbed the double-barreled shotgun hidden just beneath the bartop. It was loaded by virtue of the place they lived in.

The longer Sonic stayed in Sand Hill, the more questions rose in the back of his mind, wondering just what kind of person his father was back in his youth.

"Don't start none, there won't be none, Hanzo." Vector said, matter-of-factly. As he said this, Vectors eyes narrowed as he scanned the patrons of the bar, both humans and mobians alike turning away as his gaze fell on them, sipping their drinks or resuming their conversation about their day.

Stepping over to the scorpion bartender, Vector slapped both hands onto the lacquered countertop, leaning forward with an intense stare. The kind of look that would melt steel. The scorpion didn't move an inch. He might've been shaky and nervous all the time, but the bar's customers respected Hanzo greatly. He was a great listener and gave repeat customers discounts. He was also pretty nasty in a gunfight. No one wanted to fight him if they could help it.

"I'm looking for the Destructix." Vector was ready to harass the bartender for information, but he wouldn't need to. It would come looking for them.

"Destructix?! Hah!" A voice at the corner of the room sounded off. Sonic and Vector turned to face the man with the loud mouth. Sonic wasn't prepared to meet this particular ne'erdowell again, but given the circumstances, he was willing to put aside any differences.

A violet furred hybrid with a large, prehensile tail and an oversized tooth jutting from his mouth, was lounging back in a table booth, having apparently reserved it for himself. He looked to be nursing a mug of beer, hat slightly askew on his head. A brown, leather gloved hand beckoned for the two to come over.

"Git'over here, I ain't got all day."

Sonic and Vector looked at eachother. They both walked towards the violet hunter. Hanzo let go of a huge breath, having apparently held it in longer than he thought. One of the humans sitting at the bar reached forward to pat him on the shoulder.

Sonic and Vector sat down in front of the hybrid, who leaned forward, his own dangerous glint shining in one cerulean eye. Now that Sonic was closer, he confirmed it; it was the same... weasel? wolf? jerboa? mobian that had stolen the Master Emerald from Angel Island. How he'd even come to know of its existence, let alone traveling to Angel Island specifically, was a mystery lost to him. Yet, even in the tournament, he had shown a pragmatic fighting style that was more in line with street fighting than any kind of martial arts, and even then, he'd made it to the semi-finals on that alone, before he met defeat at the hands of Knuckles. It was obvious he wasn't someone to tangle with if you could help it.

"Fang." Vector started. "Or do you prefer Nack?" The violet and white hunter directed his glare towards the large crocodile. It was obvious he didn't care about the detectives supposed reputation, with the way his lip curled in disgust to show off a row of smaller fangs lining his mouth. Sonic had spotted some kind of pistol laying comfortably within the hunters belt a minute prior. He wasn't keen on guns, and he was even less familiar with their makes and models.

"Zip it, handbag." The hunter took a swig of his frothy drink, wiping away the foam with his thumb. With the way he leaned back to drink, Sonic spotted the black eye Knuckles had given him, no doubt as a result of their round two that ended with the echidna pilfering Fang's hat. Although, it seems he'd gotten a new one anyway, even if it wasn't as fancy as his last one. It was a simple cowboy hat with a black around the middle and a couple bullets strapped to it.

"You want to know where the Destructix are? I'll gladly take you to them." Vector and Sonic exchanged glances again. Seems they were both skeptical, especially for someone as notorious as Fang was.

"You expect me to believe you'd sell out your targets? You're a bounty hunter, not to mention you seem awfully eager to give up their location. I thought hunters like you worked alone?" Vector knew of Fang by trade. He'd made a name for himself working for the highest bidder, although after the scuffle at Central City, it seems he was knocked down a few pegs by principle alone, because he didn't seem as nearly haughty as he'd appeared a few days ago. Maybe the black eye knocked a few screws into place.

"First of all, let's get something straight here;" he started, pointing a finger at Vector. "I'm a professional, and we have standards. Hunters nowadays don't have respect for the art of the hunt. It's all about big names and sponsors now. There's no honor in it."

"Just like the honor you displayed when you stole that giant green rock?" Fang clearly wasn't prepared for Sonic to know that particular detail, with the way he recoiled, giving Sonic an offended glare.

"It was a _job!_ Bounty hunting and, whatever the hell my clients want me to do, are entirely separate. There's a lack of respect where hunting is concerned, and these Destructix are ruining my good name, just because I reccommended their skills to a different client I know. That client happened to have a big name and a big reputation. Nobody wants to touch me now because of those yahoos, and it's beginning to seriously piss me off."

"Just like that shiner that uh... mole guy gave you?" Sonic smirked, gesturing vaguely to his own eye as he drew a loose circle around it. Fang didn't look nearly impressed.  
"If I'm not mistaken, blue boy, he knocked you flat on your ass, too." Sonic grimaced.

"Listen; point is, ever since they broke out of the Devils Gulag, they've been stirring trouble across Sand Hill. They've got bounties on their heads, and I aim to collect. Restoring my name by bagging their sorry hides is extra incentive for me." Vector broke in.

"So why tell us where they are? How do you even know where their hideout is?"

"Because of two reasons: The first being that I used to be pals with their leader. Some green hedgehog with a tacky taste for leather jackets. He told me about a little hideaway they have just off route 52, and that's just a few miles outside of Sand Hill. Second being, I keep half of whatever loot they've gotten. Call it my finders fee for letting you know about this."

"Hold on, you want us to come with you?" Sonic was the one to lean forward this time, placing his both elbows on the table to make sure he heard Fang right. Fang had the audacity to let go of a throaty chuckle.

"I'm just one guy, and they've got three of them at any one time at their safehouse. I'm not stupid enough to waltz in there without a little backup. Normally I wouldn't ask for help, but I'm low on ammo and supplies, and I've seen how both you and the crocodile fight. I think I'll be a-okay."

Sonic didn't like where this was going.

It was only ten minutes later, did Sonic, Vector and Fang get on their way, speeding down the road toward their destination on Route 52. Fang and Vector couldn't keep up with Sonic, so they both took Fang's Heavy Bike; it was an air bike, and advertised as being one of the heaviest in existence. Vector had taken the sidecar it was attached to. Normally, Fang would have just taken his Marvelous Queen, but it was in a sad state of disrepair, and he wasn't about to risk one of his most prized posessions if he knew it'd be safe.

Sonic ran alongside Fangs bike, letting the wind rush past his quills as his feet pounded against the hot pavement. Even in an arid locale like this, feeling the wind on his face was doing wonders at relieving the stress coiling inside of him. It was one of the few things he could always rely on for making himself feel better, and even now was no different. The compression he felt inside of his chest eased itself away, turning into the same, familiar and boundless energy he'd always come to love about running.

Just as the three of them entered the exit to Route 52, Fang flipped open a button cover, flicking the switch upon the handle, which powered down the bike, letting the engines go from a high pitched whine similar to a jet engine, using the remaining power to coast along the much smaller road lined with bits of brush and cacti in the area, until the bike itself came to a drifting stop just behind the peak of a hill.

Sonic skidded to a stop next to the bike, taking a moment to catch his breath. The violet bounty hunter yanked the key from its ignition, depositing it inside of a pouch on his belt, right before he opened an entirely different pouch on the bike, retrieving a pair of tan colored binoculars lined with scratches. It'd seen better days, to be sure.

Vector climbed out of the side car, stretching out his limbs and patting his lower back with his fist, wincing as a series of painful sounding cracks drifted from him. He wasn't meant to be flexible, and this was only further proof of such a claim.

Fang crawled up the hill with binoculars in hand, laying on his stomach and peeking just over the top of the small hill to take a look in the distance. Situated at the far end of the flat field, sat a shoddy looking shack, built from corrugated scrap metal and old wood. There weren't any windows on it, but there was definitely a car, and one bike parked outside. The bike had just gotten there, having kicked up a ton of dust as it arrived. Sitting on it, was what looked like a frog wearing an old fashioned pilots cap and a pair of brown pants supported by a belt. His feet were wrapped in dirty bandages, with the toes sticking out. He seemed to be carrying some kind of rusty looking pet container with a handle, opening the door and disappearing from sight. Fang silently cursed under his breath.

"What's going on?" Vector asked to his right, having taken the same position as Fang did. Sonic did so too, but to his left. Fang lowered the binoculars just a bit, blue eyes squinting.  
"I have no idea who's in there, but one of them is Flying Frog. He's a nutcase, a deranged psychopath, but he acts like a child and speaks in rhyme. He likes to play 'games' with his victims."

Sonic narrowed his own view toward the shack, spotting an olive drab blob as he shielded his eyes from the sun overhead. It didn't matter how dangerous these scumbags thought they were. They'd be taken down in a heartbeat as far as he was concerned.

"So what's the plan of attack?" Sonic asked, impatience stirring just beneath the surface. He wanted to get his stuff back and get out of here.

Fang sighed, holding his chin within his palm, thinking about what he could possibly do. He'd idly handed the binoculars to Vector, who started the scanning the area in front of them.

"I'm not sure. It's not like we can just strut up in there and announce our arrival, they'd see us coming a mile away. No telling how many are inside, or what they're armed with."

"One of them shot at me with a shotgun, and I think another one has some kind of... automatic gun." Sonic offered, looking toward Fang, who only seemed to hang his head, annoyed and exasperated.

"So a scattergun and a sub. Great, figures these idiots don't bother aiming. Pathetic." Whatever diatribe Fang might've spouted off concerning the virtue of actual marksmanship would have to wait, because Vector spotted someone else coming out of the shack.

"Yo, hang up. We got a straggler." Indeed, for it was the same light blue hawk that had shot at Sonic earlier with said shotgun, circling around the shack as he yawned. Obscured from view, it looked like as if he was about to answer mother natures call. Meaning he'd be entirely preoccupied with emptying his bladder.

"Aw, damn, if only we were close-" Fang would've complained more, had Sonic not just suddenly taken off towards the shacks direction, speeding directly towards the hawk. Fang and Vector scrambled after Sonic, running after him amidst the cloud of dust.

Predator the Hawk was still shaking off the concussion he'd gotten earlier that day, thinking he could get away for a moment by taking a piss outside, and just get some fresh air in general. Especially after Flying Frog's latest screw up concerning a kidnapping. It was disgusting and vile all on its own, but he wasn't about to argue his effectiveness, even if he tended to 'play' with his food more than he should.

Right as Predator let go of a yawn, feeling the relief of having an empty bladder, his vision exploded into a white flash as very strong and very powerful kick squarely aimed at his back, sent him careening into the ground face first. What the hell just hit him?! It felt like a freight train! He tried to get up fast, but it wouldn't take. He had no chance to get up, as a vicious grip closed itself around his throat, yanking him upward. He was about to scream, if not for the seven inch serrated steel blade suddenly shoved against his stomach. Any further and it would have definitely cut him. Even still, he could feel the sharp edge pressing on it.

"I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut. I can cut open your belly like a soft-boiled egg. Are we clear?" A raspy whisper met with his face. Predator opened his eyes, to be met with the savage glint of Fang The Sniper's eyes drilling into his own.

Oh hell.

Predator smirked anyway, despite the danger.

"Well, if it ain't ol' Nacky. What's the matter, Backdoor Baron? Can't find any b- _accghk!"_ Fangs fist gripped harder around the hawks throat, strangling him and cutting off his windpipe. He kept it like this for a few seconds, relenting only when Predator's cheeks turned a darker blue.

"No games. I understand you've got something very important for one of my pals here." Fang jerked his head a little past his shoulder, gesturing to the blue hedgehog clad in red shoes and a bomber jacket just behind him. That glare he was sporting sent a chill down the hawks spine. Even worse, standing just behind him was a crocodile twice as tall as he was. Intimidating enough, if the muscles he was sporting weren't also a clear giveaway to his purpose for being here.

"Now, I'm only going to ask this once; who else is inside?" Predator weighed his options. He could yell for help... and get stabbed. Or he could cooperate like a good boy and get thrown in jail. Again.

He liked being alive more.

"S-Sergeant Simian a-nd Flying Frog!" Bringing up two fingers. Fang looked back at Sonic and Vector, jerking his head again, this time in the direction of the shacks door.

Sonic hated what was happening right now. Fang was threatening another persons life just for information. Were this any other occasion, he'd tell Fang to stop it, but given the circumstances, and what was at stake, he could let this slide, but only for now. He dived into the gritty underworld, determined to get back what was his, and hated every step of the way.

As Sonic and Vector approached the front door, standing by it, they could hear yelling inside. A deep baritone voice shouting at a higher pitched one, arguing over something. Sonic looked to Vector, a silent question hanging in the air. Vector brought up three fingers. He slowly closed one, and then the next one, and then...

Shock and awe it was.

Turning around, Vector reared back, curling his hand in and letting his fist fly towards the center of the shoddy looking door, breaking it apart into countless tiny splinters.

"KNOCK KNOCK!" Vector roared, storming in, with Sonic following close behind. Just inside of a run down looking safehouse sparsely furnished, was a tall looking and muscular ape wearing camouflage pants and an old army helmet. Next to him was the frog from before, looking no less surprised at the sudden intrusion.

Before either of them had a chance to retaliate, Vector socked Simian in the jaw as he barreled forth, sending the ape careening into the adjacent kitchen attached to their safehouse, breaking apart the frame as he did so. Not to be outdone, Sonic followed suit with an elbow colliding with Frog's cheek, flooring him next to the pet carrier he'd been holding only minutes ago.

Vector and Simian brawled in the room next to Sonic and Frog, who performed an impressive kip-up, holding his cheek a wild smile splayed itself on his features.

"Nice-ice, blue man group! Gonna sock and rock and talk to me?!" Sonic might've been known for his own aggravating banter, but at least he didn't rhyme. This guy was already getting on Sonic's nerves, and he wasn't in a mood to play around.

Jumping at Frog, Sonic let go of a roundhouse kick aimed at the frog, only for him to jump out of the way and bound off the nearby wall, hands aimed at Sonic's throat. Sonic jumped away, only for Frog to pursue him again and again. Sonic would have to look for an opening.

He wasn't used to fighting dirty, but Frog was. Sonic jumped backward, past the pet carrier, only for Frog to kick it, sending the carrier sliding behind Sonic and causing him to trip backwards onto the wooden floor, grunting as the wind was knocked out of him twice that day. He was about to roll away, but Frog was aggressive in his assault, fingers curling around Sonic's throat as he landed on top of the hedgehog, strangling him.

That grip was insane!

"Feel that adrenaline-spin-to-win? The air's leaving you heaving, and you've got a nary a chance to get away askance, heeheeheeheehee!"

Where was Vector? Where was Fang? Sonic's fingers gripped, reaching up as his nails scratched at Frog's face, who only seemed to enjoy the minimal pain being inflicted on him. His lungs burned as the life was ripped away from him, vision growing blurry. He thought of his friends. His family.

His head turned to the side. The pet carrier from before had landed next to him, and its closed gate was facing him. Inside, a pair of golden honey eyes looked back, full of tears, whimpering. It was a bee, barely a foot tall, fingers poked through the holes of the carrier, shaking it in vain.

They kidnapped a child.

The world before Sonic grew dark.

_You really are a hopeless case._

The next thing Sonic knew, he was being pulled back into the real world, Vector's hands gripped tightly around the hedgehog. Sound and light slowly came back to him. Why did every one of his muscles ache?

Sonic looked down as he stopped struggling. The frog he'd been fighting before was now lying on the ground, groaning in agony as he held his midsection, as if he'd been dealing with an especially terrible stomach ache. Vector's grip loosened, but only somewhat. To the right of the frog, stood Fang, having a bound up Predator in rope and dragged him inside to witness the spectacle.

He let go of a low whistle.  
"I don't think I've seen so many curbstomps in one fight. Usually it's just one." Sonic blinked. What did he do? He saw the bee inside the pet carrier, but after that, everything... ceased to exist.

Wait, the kid!

Sonic ripped himself from the crocodiles grasp, who went to go after Sonic again, only to stop when he saw what he was doing. Undoing the latch to the pet carrier, Sonic jumped back when a small bee crawled out, looking terrified for his life. Vector's attitude immediately changed when he saw the child, walking over to him and crouching down, trying to coax the terrified boy into a more relaxed state.

Fang let out a disgusted noise.  
"Kidnapping kids now, are ya?" He turned to look down at Predator, who looked completely scandalized at the accusation.  
"Don't look at me! That nutbar Frog did it! And it's not like it would've mattered, the kids apparently an orphan!" Fang kicked Predator in the stomach, eliciting a pained wheeze.

Vector looked down at the bee, cowering into a small ball as he whimpered.  
"This true?" He asked, in the softest voice he could manage. The bee kid nodded slowly, looking up at Vector.  
"H-he said he was going to play with me." he choked out between barely contained sobs and tears.

Vector scooped up the bee into his arms, holding him against his broad chest, secured and safe.  
"Shh, shh. No more of that. D'you have a name, kid?"

He nodded, settling into Vector's arms, having calmed down slightly, now that it seemed like he wasn't in danger.

"Uh, i-it's Charmy." Vector smiled down at Charmy. Charmy smiled back.

As this went on, Sonic had explored the rest of the hot, stuffy shack, looking for his dufflebag. Simian was out cold inside the kitchen, laying in a pile of broken dish shards and wood pieces. Vector had done quite the number on him.

The dufflebag itself was pretty easy to find, considering the rest of the place looked like hobo's occupied it, having leaned upon the wall nearby. He was relieved to find that everything was still inside as well, including the six Chaos Emeralds and the journals he'd taken. Seems they hadn't taken the time to inspect what they'd looted from Sonic. It was better that way.

No reason for Vector or Fang to see those.

Shouldering his dufflebag once again, Sonic stepped back into the main room, seeing the hybrid and the crocodile talking to eachother. Charmy was standing at Vectors side, holding his hand.

"I'll figure out how to take them to the nearest police station. I've had to haul bigger groups before with less."

"Yeah well, just make sure none of 'em away. No idea where Drago is, but he probably ran to his boss. No idea what I'm going to do with the kid..."

Sonic stepped past them. His business was done here. Fang, seeing Sonic, gave his own little smirk, as he doffed his hat at Charmy, dragging a sullen and tied up Predator and an agonized Frog outside. He'd get Simian in a few minutes. Predator was yelling something about being threatened with an unloaded gun, and Fang could just be heard laughing the whole time outside.

Charmy looked up at Vector with an innocent gaze.

"Are you my dad now?"

Vector sighed.


	3. No Artificial Colors

Sonic adjusted his bandanna with a single hand, pulling it up tighter, closer to his mouth. The sand, grass and dirt being kicked up around him from the winds of the plains wasn't something he'd call paradise, but it was nature at its most raw. He could appreciate that, especially since a tour of folks getting to see the Mazurian Outback were making a fine amount of noise amongst the most traveled trail, this let him get a feel for the vast outdoors of the continent. Most of it wasn't populated, and in fact, a majority of settlements dotted the landscape, usually near an oasis, or a collection of trees. It was easy to tell them apart, thanks to the colorful banners hanging around the more densely packed areas. Maybe it was a sign to stay away. After all, an animal would know to stay away from something so large and so colorful. Anything that big that stood out probably lasted longer than the prey who evolved out of bright colors.

Sonic spied the bus taking the tourists, slowly paving its course around the predefined path and letting loose a string of facts about the environment. At this range, it was just noise to him, but the enthusiasm was undeniable. A small smile crept onto his muzzle, settling into the shade of the tree branch he occupied on this lone plain. Crouching down, Sonic rested his arms on his knees, squatting, letting himself take a breather from the hot sun beating down on the land. With a practiced movement that spoke to years of experience, one brown gloved and fingerless hand deftly slid his goggles up on his head, while the other pulled down the neckerchief, letting his mouth taste fresh air once more.

Mazuri's climate was brutal. He was used to colder environments, but that didn't mean he didn't like the occasional sunbathing, especially if he got to sleep under an umbrella. Sonic was at least thankful it was a dry heat. A humid coast city without a breeze would be far worse. Nothing said the agony of a concrete jungle in summer would be preferable.

Sonic chuckled wryly to himself, as he unhooked a water bottle clipped to his stabo harness, bringing it up to his mouth, taking a small sip to refresh his throat. All these problems, and right now, he was the only one thinking about them. Did it really matter? Sonic took down another sip in thought.

Maybe, but not to him. It was just another obstacle. A wall to climb. As trite as it sounded, dealing with the constant threat of dehydration and heat stroke seemed like something small and simple to him now, especially after everything he's been through. Robots, ancient ruins...

Eggman.

Sonic shivered at the name. Just thinking about Eggman left a chill down his spine. A chill he could not shake. Did it make everything else he's been through before, and after, and will ever go through... did it trivialize it all? Did he even have the right to complain about small things anymore? From what he gathered, Eggman had been through so much more than Sonic could reasonably fathom. He'd never understand why he snapped the way he did... he supposed he never world.

Sally described it as an accident, twisted into something profane. Well-meaning, but ultimately doomed to fail. It sounded far too similar to what happened to him for his liking. Sonic wondered if she had a bias, since Eggman bombed Mobotropolis. It was something none of them expected. She couldn't understand why he didn't want to join her task force group, to aid and prevent more events like these. He never would.

In that moment, Sonic thought of his mother, Aleena. Try as she might to raise him to the best of her ability, Sonic always remembered the pained look she had whenever she thought he wasn't looking. For about a year, he thought it was because of him. Self-doubt, unbecoming of him, yearning for an answer he might never find. Did his Dad leave because of him? Because of her? Did he even deserve to know the answer? Sonic briefly considered joining Sally's endeavor, if just to take advantage of the resources at her disposal, but that meant taking orders from an authority, and well... we can't have that, can we?

Sonic took another sip of his bottle, only to find nothing but air greeted him. Blinking, he shook the bottle a few times to make sure he wasn't just dreaming, eyeballing the container with one eye closed. That figured.

Clipping the bottle back onto his stabo harness, Sonic stood up, stretching out his limbs, resulting in a few satisfying cracks along his joints. Placing the goggles and the neckerchief back over his mouth and eyes, Sonic took off into the plains of Mazuri, shooting into the horizon.

His goal was to find Savannah Citadel, the entrance gate to the Gaia Temple of this region. The tribe stationed there held watch over the temple for thousands of years, revered as holy ground to the people of Mazuri. Pilgrims of all kinds made the journey around the world to these holy sites, often to find ascetic enlightenment for their own purposes. For Sonic, he was hoping to put the past behind him and be done with this affair once and for all. He wasn't sure what he was going to do after he placed all of the emeralds, but like anything else, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. Why bother thinking about it now? He'd only end up frustrating himself if it didn't turn out the way he wanted.

Just as irritation began to set in, a large, light beige structure poked out of the horizon. Sonic squinted his eyes, slowing down just a little bit to better focus his vision. The closer he approached, the larger it became.

"They weren't kidding when they called it a citadel." He muttered to himself. The sheer size of the sandy structure finally hit him once he approached the outskirts of the great wall surrounding it. The sun overhead cast a shade along the wall, giving a cool respite to the dry heat of the land. Slowing down even further, Sonic came to the wall, pressing a hand upon the cracked, hardened structure. The stone it was made out of felt sturdy, despite the shallow cracks in the surface. The cool stone could be felt on his digits, sending a chill down his arm. He wasn't an architect, so he couldn't really discern what the stone was made out of, but its odd texture wasn't something he'd forget easily.

Sonic jogged around the wall, hoping to find an entrance or a gate of some kind. He could have easily scaled the wall, but he'd probably get marked as some kind of shady criminal doing that. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck behind enemy lines again with no adequate explaination other than "i got impatient" would make anyone with half a brain, smack him for being so lippy, and something in Sonic's gut told him to at least play nice, even if his mood had considerably soured over the last few days.

Eventually, Sonic found the entrance; a large gate spiked at the top and made from large logs of wood. Just behind that, was a guards tower made from wood as well, with a single sentry situated on top. The sentry in question seemed to be scanning for something, and it wasn't until Sonic let loose of a whistle at him, did the sentry jump out of his skin and take a closer look at the hedgehog peering up at him with a questioning.

"He's here!" shouted the sentry, having turned around to yell at someone on the other side. Just as Sonic was growing impatient, tapping his foot upon the dirt ridden ground, someone else had climbed the tower to regard Sonic, and this time, it seemed to be some kind of species native to Mazuri. She had scales, but Sonic couldn't make out much from from his spot. The sun was being especially cheeky today.

"Halt, pilgrim. What's your business at the Citadel?!" The voice was rough, but obviously feminine. Sonic immediately thought of a variety of responses, all of them having something to do with telling her where to stick it. His gut grumbled near immediately.

"You might not believe it, but I'm here for something you might really enjoy having back in your possession!" Sonic spread out his arms, indicating he wasn't reaching for anything dangerous, slowly moving his hands towards the small backpack upon his harness, Sonic opened it up to reveal the yellow chaos emerald, shining brightly within the afternoon sun, held outstretched within his hand. He was only carrying one with him for now. He'd stashed the emeralds away in a hidden spot, just to avoid an would-be burglars wise enough to try and mug him again, and he'd be damned if he was going to travel all over the continent will the remaining six emeralds strapped to him. They were heavier than they looked.

Sonic could swear the womans eyes bugged out of her skull, but the distance and the dusty goggles prevented him from really knowing. Though she disappeared out of sight, Sonic's ears flicked a bit, straining to hear the surprised, confused and slightly ecstatic orders from the other side.

_"He has a Chaos Emerald! Open up the gate immediately!"_

Sonic smirked to himself just under the bandanna around his face. Speaking of... it wouldn't be very wise to wear it all the time. He didn't want to give off the impression he was a bandit looking to loot some ancient burial site. Sonic slid his goggles up his forehead, and loosened the bandana to sit around his neck, as the wooden gears turned and creaked as the gate opened up down the middle, just enough for someone of his size to pass through. Sonic took that as his cue to pass through to the other side, only to be greeted with a bunch of kids of varying sizes, although all of them were considerably shorter than he was. Dogs, reptiles, a hedgehog, a bird or two... about six of them swarmed him

"Do you actually have a chaos emerald?!"  
"Look at his hand, of course he does!"  
"How did he get it? Did he steal OURS?"  
"We've never seen a blue hedgehog before!"

Sonic didn't know how to handle kids. He knew even less how to respond how he came into possession of an ancient artifact like the one he was holding above his head, but anything he might've said to the kids was cut short, as a few guards with spears traveled over, ferrying the kids away to disappointed groans. One of the spear holding guardsmen regarded him with a suspicious stare, only for the woman from before to approach from his side.

"Don't mind the younglings. They're excited to meet anyone that travels to the Citadel, let alone a traveler holding one of seven chaos emeralds."

Turning to face her, Sonic was able to more accurately describe the woman. She was slightly taller than he was, and despite her soft voice, her muscular body betrayed her easy-going nature she gave off. The top of her arms were coated in thick rows of plated scales, traveling up to her head. A thick, powerful tail gently swished behind her, back and forth. Sonic could only imagine the sheer weight that tail must have.

Her clothing seemed to be typical of the region as well. Robes and sashes, but it was obvious she was more inclined to physical activity than anything else, owing to those strong looking arms and legs.

Sonic cleared his throat, looking more directly at the pangolin woman, as he brought the Chaos Emerald to his side a bit more casually.  
"Seemed your boy on lookout duty was expecting me." He cooly started, looking briefly to the wooden tower, and the... reptile? peering down at him with barely restrained curiosity.

The pangolin woman placed both hands on her hips, giving Sonic of a brow, in disbelief.  
"Were you even aware of the dust cloud you were kicking up? We thought a stampede was barreling towards us. I thought he was suffering from heatstroke when he said there was a blue hedgehog speeding directly at us from the south."

Sonic rose both brows, quirking a mouth to one corner, conceding the point.  
"I've spent most of the day looking for the Citadel, since I came from Savanna Village. They were awfully cagey about telling me just where this place was located." The pangolin shrugged, moving towards the gate and pulling the lever once again to properly close the outside world off once again.

"Savannah Citadel is a holy site. They probably thought you were a treasure hunter, and you certainly look the part."

Sonic hadn't meant to. He simply wanted to be prepared for what turned out to be an extended journey into the Mazurian outback. He'd felt justified in his current outfit.

"About that; I'm not here to loot anything, but I AM here to return the emerald to the Gaia Temple. Back to it's rightful home." The pangolin let her eyes scan up and down Sonic for a moment, as if measuring his worth and his word. Sharp green eyes met his own. An uneasy stare was held. Sonic held his ground, staring right back.

"Well," she finally started, eyes growing a little softer from their piercing gaze only seconds before. "Come with me, the elder is going to want to see you."

Sonic wasn't sure what had just happened, but it was obvious he had passed some kind of test. Whether that was a good or bad thing was still up in the air.

The pangolin led him through the crowded avenues of the Citadel. Smaller buildings lined in a slightly un-uniform manner, with the same sandy stone complexion. This way and that, the people of the tribe milled about, shucking fish, cooking, weaving tapestry, or creating concoctions with herbs, spices and so on. It was a lively place, and one he probably would've enjoyed being at under any other circumstance. He had a job to do. He could relax and laze about later.

Some people eyed Sonic with curiosity; others regarded him with barely restrained suspicion. As if sensing his thoughts, the woman leading him deeper into the Citadel spoke up, looking over her shoulder with a wry smile.

"Don't mind them. It's not often we have visitors to the Citadel." Considering the distance Sonic had to run just to see the top of the abode on the horizon, he guessed it was on the very outskirts of Mazuri. That was quite a trek for anyone, let alone someone of his endurance, speed and stamina.

"I couldn't really care, lady. I'm just glad I finally made it here." The pangolin made a noise of either agreement, or contempt; Sonic couldn't tell which. The rest of the walk resumed in silence, winding around the path towards the largest building situated in the center. An open archway leading inside, illuminated the duo. Being at the very center of the town, there were more guards present, although it was obvious by his presence, they weren't prepared for an outsider, with the way most stared at him still. It was beginning to unnerve Sonic a little.

Amongst the throng of people inside the Citadel proper, the pangolin led Sonic towards an older, kinder looking lion, sitting upon a mat, surrounded by odds and ends and a few books. The bookworm in Sonic itched to know what was inside those pages, but they were probably in Mazurian dialect, and even then, probably in some ancient, untranslated language. He'd have to take a course of dialect from his uncle one day.

"Lukman." The pangolin called out, standing in front of the lion. This lion, "Lukman", looked up at the pangolin with squinted, narrow eyes. His pupils were similarly narrow, like a snakes. The sight wasn't lost on Sonic. It looked incredibly odd by itself. Lions typically had larger eyes, but this one seemed frail and narrow along the shoulders, whether that was due to age, or something, Sonic couldn't figure out.

Lukman smiled once he finally adjusted his poor eyesight towards the younger, fitting woman. "Oh! To what do I owe the pleasure, Rashida?" At this, she stepped a bit to the side, presenting Sonic to the elder lion. Sonic, as awkward as he felt, gave a little wave to at least be polite.

It took a moment for the lion to adjust his vision again, but he nodded once Sonic came into view.  
"Oh, a scruffy blue vagabond! He is quite a vibrant shade despite the dirt." The pangolin, whose name appeared to be Rashida, gave Sonic an apologetic look, before turning back to the lion, having brought a pipe to his mouth, made from what looked like hickory and adorned with tribunal offerings.

"Lukman, he has a Chaos Emerald."  
Lukman's eyes opened wide, his slits for pupils widening slightly as well. Slowly, he brought the pipe away from his mouth, whispering to no one but himself, looking toward his lap in thought, bringing a hand to his chin.

"So, it was true then." Rashida looked toward Sonic, who only shrugged. He had no idea what was going on, but it absolutely had something to do with the Chaos Emerald. It's why he was here, and apparently the lion shaman knew ahead of time.

"What is?" Rashida asked, placing a hand upon her hip. Curiosity overtook her. What did this blue hedgehog have to do with this?  
"Not here." The lion rasped, standing up, bringing a cane along with him, gesturing for Sonic and Rashida to follow.

Further they went, into the very heart of the Savannah Citadel. Light was not filtering in through any kind of space deeper inside, rather, illuminated by torches upon the walls, as well as candles here and there usually sitting on the floor, as the two descended down a ramp, past the surface of the earth. The stonework inside began to look far more ancient compared to the structures outside, to the point that Sonic began identifying markings along the walls, similar to the markings of the temple beneath South Island. He was on the right track, at least.

Rashida, for her part, was a warrior within the tribe. She knew of matters of the Chaos Emeralds, but she was not any kind of archivist, nor was she a librarian, cataloguing and recording events as they unfolded. Yet, this strange blue hedgehog held the emerald that had been stolen all that time ago. It was theorized that the Emeralds had simply disappeared, but no one person could agree on anything, and now it seemed to find its way home on its own accord, by a traveler with a hardened demeanor. She might not have been the smartest person in the world, but she knew a warrior's eyes when she saw them. It was one reason why she didn't outright demand the Chaos Emerald from Sonic and kick him out of the gate. She didn't feel like picking a fight with this Reisiger.

"How did you come across the yellow Chaos Emerald, young man?" Lukman finally spoke up, coming to a closed door situated at the end of the hall they were in.

Sonic, at first, hesitated to even answer. Lukman could sense the hesitation, as did Rashida. Sonic clenched a fist, but not out of malice, as he silently recalled how he came into possession of the yellow emerald in particular. Explosions and warning lights filled his minds eye, hand outstretched and snagging the emerald away from its casing deep inside the Death Egg.

"I took it from the man that had taken it from you." Sonic regarded Rashida with an uneasy stare, one that spoke of trauma and innocence lost.  
"I'm just returning stolen property." Sonic concluded. Though his voice was level, both Rashida and Lukman felt the tremor he exuded from his soul. Being spiritually attuned, having lived in the shadow of the Gaia Temple for generations, it was easy for empathy to be heightened, but the sheer weight Sonic must've felt was nothing short of titanic. It was an oppressive aura that neither of them could explain.

"Can I ask what was with the cloak n' dagger routine back there? Why couldn't I just hand off the emerald?"  
It was Lukman's turn to speak up, stroking his hairy chin in thought, gazing gravely at Sonic.

"It's rather embarassing, but I was never one for theatrics. I rather do these things quietly, and as you might wonder, we have traditions regarding the return of the Chaos Emeralds." That figured. Sonic thought something like this might've occured, but he'd only skimmed the pamphlet given to him by the tour guide. If it had mentioned anything regarding customs concerning ancient artifacts of power, well, he certainly missed it.

"Lukman might not look it, Reisiger, but he is over one-hundred and ten years old." It was Sonic's turn to stare disbelievingly at Lukman, mouth hanging open slightly. Lukman smiled, apparently proud of such an achievement.  
"You don't look a day over eighty!" It was the first time Sonic had cracked a joke in a fair amount of days. A familiar mirth welled within his chest, forcing a smile to his muzzle. He missed this feeling.  
"He is our oldest living elder. His knowledge of the mystic arts is unparalleled." Lukman held up a hand, shaking his head.  
"I am not powerful, merely knowledgeable. Rashida is our greatest warrior. It's only fitting she guide you to the altar she is sworn to protect."

The low-lighting made it difficult to tell, but Sonic could almost swear Rashida blushed.

"However," Lukman said once more "before we do that, as I mentioned, we have traditions here in Mazuri, that demand to be upheld, even in times like these." Turning around, the elder lion opened the door to the room they had been standing before, letting in a brief glow of light-blue shimmers. Rashida began opening the other door, letting Sonic get a better look at the reflective pool before him.

The ceiling to this place was low, and fixed with dark cobblestone, flagging in various spots, speaking to its age of ancient inequity. Just from the stones alone, he could tell this room was hundreds- no, thousands of years old. The only thing that looked like it held any kind of resurgent quality to its presence, was the center of the room, holding a square pool full of light, bluish green reflective water. It held an eerie glow that reminded Sonic of the green Chaos Emerald.

"The Life Pool." Lukman offered, providing an answer to Sonic's silent question. People really needed to stop reading his mind.  
"There is not a single body of water on Mobius more pure than this. We know not of where it comes from. Underground aquifers blessed by the gods, perhaps? In any case, for as long as this tribe has been alive, we have upheld the tradition of cleansing foreign visiters before they attend the Gaia Temple. In your case, it's especially important, as no one, but the soul who found the missing emerald may replace it upon its altar."

Sonic looked incredulously at Lukman. He only smiled sheepishly in response.  
"It is a matter of balance to the world."

Balance, huh?

"How deep is it?" Sonic's voice grew quiet as he looked upon the pool. His head hurt just looking at it.  
"Only waist high. Do not worry. You will not drown, if you cannot swim." Sonic wasn't about to dignify that statement with anything but a half-hearted grunt. Slowly, he approached the pool, only for Rashida to grab his hand and pull Sonic back slightly. Sonic looked over his shoulder, a silent question hanging in the air.

"You cannot enter the pool as you are. You must be as pure to the world as the day you were born, if you are to reinter the Chaos Emerald." Sonic's eyebrows knit together in confusion, before craning his head to Lukman, who seemed to be looking between Rashida and Sonic slowly, right before nodding, eyes opening slightly, petting his beardy chin once more.

"Oh, oh my, how could I forget? Indeed, you must not wear anything when entering the pool." Sonic adopted an exasperated expression, eyes flitting between the pangolin and the lion. He supposed it made sense, but he didn't like stripping, period. If he could help it, anyway.

With a pained grunt, Sonic undid his stabo harness, removing the bandanna, goggles, gloves and finally and most reluctantly, his sneakers, placing it all into a neat pile beside the pool. With a furious blush adorning his cheeks, Sonic spread his arms out, showing he had nothing else on him. Lukman nodded in approval, and Rashida seemed to be desperately looking anywhere else.

Turning back around, Sonic took a deep breath, taking special care to descend the small, stone stairs leading into that eerie body of water.

He expected to weather the biting sting of cold upon his foot. Sonic wasn't prepared for a chilly, but inviting comfort to wash over the foot he'd dipped inside of the spring, opening his eyes in confusion, having apparently closed them moments prior, dreading entering the pool. Instead, this encouraged the blue hedgehog, descending upon the stairs, until he was on the ground level, waist deep.

Sonic dared not move too far away from the stairs, as the soothing comfort of the spring washed over his lower half, a primal part of his being refused to go any further.

This wasn't so bad.

Well, until the pool started to turn black near his waist.

Sonic looked down, expecting to see his bottom half submerged in the cool water... but instead of a comforting soothe he'd felt only seconds before, it soon turned hot, bathing him in what felt like the flames of hell. Reflexively, Sonic batted at the water, hoping he was just halluciating or something. Whether he was or not, neither outcome was appealing in any respect. His hand, once it had collided with the inky pitch blackness, pulled away, as the scalding, viscous substance clung to his hand, stretching out into various webs and bridges. That primal fear Sonic had felt earlier now washed over his entire being, sending a deep dread over his body, terror filling his lungs.  
  


_**"Gh-wh-What is this crap?!"** _

Sonic attempted to move away, but the terrible black mass seemed to be clinging onto him harder the more he tried to pull away. As this all happened, Rashida was struck speechless, beyond belief, only snapped out of her shock at the pure terror filling Sonic's voice. Blinking away the horror, Rashida steeled her nerves, moving into the pool to grab ahold of Sonic's arms. If she was burned like he was, then so be it.

However, as one arm held onto the blackened limb, she felt nothing there. Unperturbed, she pulled further, yanking Sonic back, who seemed to be rooted to the spot and hissing at the pain coursing through his body. Rashida had to use most of her strength to budge Sonic, but it seemed to work, because the next moment, the duo flew back, on top of the stairs.

Sonic scrambled further up the stairs until he was fully back onto dry land,using his one free hand to wipe and slap away the black coat clinging to his arms and legs, which seemed to be ebbing away, now that he wasn't inside of the Life Pool.

Rashida and Lukman both looked toward the spot in the pool, where the black mass lingered where Sonic stood, rippling, as if curious about where Sonic had gone. Soon, just like the same stuff on Sonic, it too, slowly went away, until the effervescent presence of the Life Pool looked as if nothing had ever happened.

Both the pangolin and the lion looked toward Sonic, who seemed to be curled up into a ball, head supplanted into his knees, breathing heavily.

Rashida was the first to speak.  
"Elder, what- what happened?!" Lukman was speechless. In his century of living on Mobius, in all of his years screening visiters for a brief dip in the Life Pool, never had he seen something so horrible born out of what supposed to be pure and soul cleansing. The lion wracked his brain, having stored a centuries worth of knowledge up there, in an attempt to rationlize this unnerving experience.

It was then, that Sonic chose to speak, shivering in his current state.  
"It was just like last time!" Sonic spoke in a quaking voice. "That fire, burning me all over!"

Lukman looked to Rashida, who gave back an extremely bewildered gesture.  
"What do you mean 'last time'?" Lukman asked, caution entering his raspy voice. Sonic brought his head up to look at the elder.

"When I used the emeralds, to stop someone!"

Lukman felt a dire, cold apprehension slide over him.

"You... you did what?" He asked quietly, trepidation entering his voice.

Sonic glanced between Rashida and Lukman. Between the two, Lukman held a far more perturbed countenance than Rashida, who seemed to be settling for disbelief. Sonic repeated himself, although far more uneasy, now that fear had been replaced with a disquieting unease looming over him.

"...I used the emeralds to stop the man that originally stole them."

Lukman chose that moment to lean against the wall, as realization hit him dead-on.

The weight of Sonic's crime against the gods.

_The twin moons of Mobius are often contested amongst scholars of varying intellectual rigor. Some say the existence of both moons simply cannot be, as their scientific probability is almost non-existent. Others, remark on how there can only be one moon to control the tides, and the other, large moon is not a moon, but something else entirely. I prodded Kazas' thoughts today on the existence of both moons, and he gave me a very annoyed look. "One cannot be a moon" he started "as that would imply it moves at all, but as it is, it simply never sets." He is right, but if it is not a moon, then what is it? It's far too large, and it sits in the same spot every day, whether rain, sleet, hail, or day or night. The way it shimmers and sparkles, as moon dust descends from the heavens to bless us, I cannot help but speculate to its true existence and meaning. Perhaps it is not a moon, but a vessel. An egg. Does it hold the embryo of paradise? Or is it simply trash left behind by a visitor? The Great Dragon on the millennial cycle says otherwise, but I suppose we won't know in our lifetime._

Sonic closed the book on the Red Herald's journal, having just finished another entry. Slowly, he sank back into the comfortable floor chair he was now occupying. It seemed like a beanbag chair, but it was far more comfortable, being made out of satin and fine, colorful cloth. Rashida sat in a similar chair a few feet away from Sonic, gazing at the night sky as she did so. The two were currently relaxing on a balcony overlooking the citadel commons, soaking in the night breeze and the stars. Lukman had retreated to his inner sanctum, promising Sonic to pour over his tomes and scrolls in an attempt to figure out the cause for that alarming, and frankly, traumatizing dip into the Life Pool.

The pool itself was said to have held rejuvenating waters meant for the pure revival and malignancy eradication of anyone sick or diseased, and also capable of cleansing the soul. A sound mind and a sound body is what made for an adequate soul. From the way the pool had reacted, it almost seemed to try and "claim" him. Every movement felt like scalding quick sand, pulling him deeper... a type of heat he wouldn't forget for the rest of his life. His transformation with the emeralds was the only other time he had ever felt like that, only this time, the rampant pain was too much to bear, without the transformation there to weather and channel most of it.

Than, there was the Master Emerald. The same heat was there, but it was calmer; controlled. It wasn't as aggressive and harmful like the Chaos Emeralds, as if it was forcing them to behave, as if it was a parent scolding unruly children.

From the way Rashida described it, the pool itself was one of the few places on Mobius that had apparently been blessed by the Gods themselves. Whoever they were. Sonic brought a hand up to his face, inspecting the now glove-clad hand, fingers curling and uncurling. The heat from before, lingered on his palm, radiating an ever present, poisonous entity. Sonic clenched his fist, causing the bones to crack in his knuckles. Rashida had apparently heard this, speaking up, pulling Sonic away from his introspection.

"You alright, Reisiger?" She asked, concern tinting her voice slightly.  
"I'm fine." He wasn't. If what Lukman had said was true, than Sonic had pissed off some seriously powerful entities monitoring the fabric of spacetime. He had done the one thing no mortal was ever meant to do. Sonic huffed out of his nose, rubbing at the underside with a finger. The Life Pool was pure... and he was diseased beyond compare. A malignant mark was placed upon his soul, and the Life Pool, being one of the few vestiges of those that came before left, recognized this mark. It left a sour taste in Sonic's mouth.

"And my name isn't Reisiger. Why do you keep calling me that?" It was Sonic's turn to question, craning his head a bit to regard Rashida with a look that held an interesting mix of annoyed and curious.

The pangolin's lips pursed together. Had she not realized until now, that she didn't even know of this hedgehogs name? That whole ordeal down in the life pool, and she hadn't even known this mans name, let alone questioning why he had the chaos emerald. Rashida felt keenly aware of this apparent snafu, turning her face to look at the stars again, a small flush staining her cheeks.

"Well, it's Mazurkaans dialect. It means 'traveler'." That made sense. He did travel quite a lot. Especially recently.

A minute of contemplative silence had passed between the two. Sonic wouldn't say it, but he very much appreciated that Rashida wasn't forcing any kind of conversation. They were comfortable in eachothers presence, for as little as they knew about each other.

"The name's Sonic, by the way." Rashida let a small, hidden smile play at her lips. It was a nice name... at least, she thought so.

"How many emeralds do you have left?" She started, voice only a little softer. Sonic let out a heavy sigh, leaning back in his chair as he placed both arms behind his head. He looked at the second, larger moon, eyes tracing along the innumerable craters and holes pockmarking it.

"Five." Sonic started "I've already placed the green emerald back under South Island, and I just returned the yellow emerald..." Sonic's voice trailed off. The reality of figuring out where the rest of the Gaia Temples were, was a task he wasn't looking forward to. He only knew of Savannah Citadel because of how popular it was, and he only knew of the one under South Island because he'd been there once before. Otherwise, he was flying blind.

Sonic grimaced. He didn't want to do this for the rest of his life. If the temple under South Island was lost to time as it was, who could say what the other temples were like?

"I don't believe we have records on other temple locations... but I know of one in the Far East." Sonic slowly lifted his head, to look at Rashida once more. Her hands were folded in her lap, sitting upright.  
"There is a village located deep in the Chun-Nan province, called Dragon Road. I was there on my own warrior's pilgrimage when I was slightly younger. I wasn't interested in it at the time, but I distinctly recall there being talk of a Gaia Temple located there. Where it is exactly, I couldn't say."

Considering the east lands held a distinct amount of mountain ranges, Sonic would bet a large amount of rings that a Temple was located somewhere, deep inside the stone and rock. That wasn't something he was looking forward to, although he'd always meant to go rock climbing at least once in his life.

Sonic shrugged noncommiteddly, getting comfortable within his chair.

"It's a start."

Minutes passed. The minutes turned into an hour. Sonic lost track of time, especially being so comfortable for the first time since he'd awoken in the HardLight Arena. Not even the monastery on Angel Island was that comfortable. And then-

"Do you wish to spar, Sonic?"  
"That'd be great."

Both hedgehog and pangolin made their way through the interior of the citadel, navigating the halls, with Rashida leading the way. The destination was a small sparring arena located further inside. A square room with old stone stables pushed against the walls. Pots and tapestries lined the walls and corners, illunimated by torchlight much like the underbelly, only this room held an outside view of the world from carved windows about thirty feet up, filting in moonlight onto a worn looking mat situated in the very center.

"I'm sorry if this seems like an abrupt request, I couldn't help but notice how tense you were." Sonic chuckled as he rolled a shoulder, elliciting a healthy pop.  
"That obvious, huh?"  
"I know a warrior when I see one." The pangolin said, in a matter-of-fact tone. Rashida took her place at one end of the mat, and Sonic took his, tapping the tip of his shoes upon the ground, warming up his reflexes.

"I wouldn't call myself a warrior. Just a guy that loves adventure." Rashida shook her head. No matter what Sonic might say, she could see it in every movement. The way Sonic carried himself, the way his muscles coiled and tensed every time his legs moved, and the sharp look his eyes seemed to give off at all times. It was all very subtle. If she hadn't known better, she might think he was a legendary fighter of some kind, but he looked to be no older than fifteen, sixteen at best, and yet, there was something so distinctly off about him. It seemed like he was itching to fight. He wouldn't have so readily agreed if he hadn't.

It wasn't her place to ask. Walking over to one of the tables, Rashida retrieved a bundle of roughworn cloth, unhooking the twine holding it together, to start wrapping it around her right arm, up to the forearm, leaving only the telltale pangolin claws exposed. As she did this, Sonic watched her. Just as she observed him, he could tell she carried herself with grace, but strength, at the same time. He was vaguely reminded of Amy.

"So, do you have any kind of training in the way of hand-to-hand?" Rashida asked as she walked back to the mat, placing both hands upon her hips. Sonic copied her, but not intentionally, both fists closed at his own waist, looking down at the ground in thought.  
"Uh, no?... but I have experience, if that counts?"

Rashida nodded. She didn't want to fight someone that couldn't defend himself, though something told her he was more than capable of doing so.  
"Then come, if you can handle me."  
Rashida assumed her own position, bringing the cloth-covered arm up in what looked like a defensive position. Sonic let his smile grow wider, into a toothy grin.

Sonic brought both of his arms up, fists clenched together, hunched over just a little bit, as his legs awoke, bouncing him back and forth in place, side-to-side. An undeniable energy coursed through his veins. He was born for this.

Sonic was the first to make a move, dashing towards Rashida, driving a left jab at her middle. The pangolin blocked it easily enough her cloth-covered arm, using it as a shield, returning the attack with her own punch aimed at Sonic's side, swinging in a wide hook. Sonic hopped back, before twisting his body, bring a leg up into a roundhouse kick. Rashida managed to guard against that too, but the force behind the kick was far stronger than his punch. It held the weight of a boulder behind it!

This caused her to skid back a few feet. Not to be outdone, Sonic pursued his opponent, twisting his body a full three-sixty with a straight kick, driving it into her stomach. The pangolin grabbed the hedgehogs foot, currently planted in her stomach, and swung a leg over his, capturing his leg into a submission hold. Sonic wasn't prepared to get pulled directly off-balance, forcing his back to hit the mat, briefly knocking the wind out of him. Rashida held a vice-like grip on Sonic's leg, standing over him.

The pangolin was using a combination of Dambe and Laamb, both martial arts practiced primarily in Mazuri. Single-arm boxing and strike-based wrestling respectively. It wasn't flashy, stylish, or even impressive, but it was extremely effective at taking an opponent down at the most opportune moments. Sonic had raw, unrefined skill. If he had bothered to hone it to a razor sharp edge, he'd be a force to be reckoned with.

With a frustrated grunt, Sonic reared back his other leg. He was thankful for being so limber and loose, as this let him rear it far back enough to kick at Rashida's ankle toppling her over like a stack of bricks. They both rolled away from each other, standing a few feet apart, eying each other up and down.

"Not bad, Reisiger! You're much more hardy than I expected."  
"What you see is what you get!"

In the dark below, in the depths of his soul, Sonic could feel the familiar tug of anger welling deep inside. The same, red hot rage he felt during his fight with Knuckles. The same disquiet that caused him to lose the tournament, and look like a jerkass to everyone he'd ever met. He had to control it.

Most Citadel inhabitants had developed a second sense for empathy, able to feel what the person they were focused on was feeling. Behind the rush of excitement at trading blows with a partner, there lay an ugly, twisted malfeasance clawing at the edges. An oppressive entity yearning to get free of its prison. Where Sonic felt he needed control, Rashida felt he needed an outlet. She was sturdy enough. She'd have to apologize for what she was about to pull next.

"What's the matter, weakling? Stop trying to hit me, and hit me." Rashida placed a smirk on her muzzle, even if it was a little wobbly on closer inspection. She wasn't used to acting like an asshole, but if that's what needed to happen...  
Sonic blinked a few times, his hearty bouncing stopping, replaced with a stalwart stance.

"What'd you say?" He asked in disbelief.  
"I said you're a weakling. You can't even hope to hurt me with those weak little arms." She goaded and prodded at him. A part of her realized she was poking a sleeping beast, and it was about to bare its claws.

"I'm not weak!" Sonic suddenly shouted, lunging at Rashida. Sonic decided to forego any arm action in favor of almost exclusively using his legs. His speed complimented his agility, allowing him to flip mid-lunge, bringing down an overhead heel strike. Twisting immediately upon contact with her shield arm, Sonic used his other leg to kick at the guard, sending Rashida sliding a few feet away again. The pangolin grimaced at each strike. Forget boulders, those legs felt like the power of a stampede in each limb!

She couldn't be on the defensive forever. She wouldn't last like this. Sonic seemed to favor overpowering his opponents before they had a chance to do anything. His speed and his agility were nothing like she'd seen before, and each strike complimented the sheer power behind them. Every few leg strikes, he'd supplement them with a punch, adding variety to the flurry of attacks he let go.

Problem is, Sonic had the stamina to match. Anyone enduring this kind of onslaught wouldn't last for very long. Ducking an overhead roundhouse kick, Rashida grabbed onto the other leg incoming from below, placing a hand on the knee, and wrapping the other aound his ankle, jumping up to create momentum, allowing her to hammer throw Sonic back into the mat.

A pained grunt was strangled from his throat as Sonic bounced upon the mat. The pangolin warrior landed next to Sonic. In a final fit of desperation, Sonic spun on the ground, sweeping her legs out from under her. A rookie mistake! She thought he was done, but she proved him wrong with one last attack.

Having endured his onslaught only moments ago, this chain of attacks finally met her limit, as she too, landed squarely on the mat beside Sonic, reaching her limit, chest heaving for breath.

The two warriors calmed down, as sweat riddled their bodies, the only sound between them, the constant huffing of their lungs pleading for air. How long had they been fighting? At some point, they had both lost track of the sparring match, and they were both drawn to their limit.

After a full minute of catching their breath, the pangolin was the first to speak.  
"Feel better?" She asked, turning her head slightly to look at Sonic, who's eyes were closed, arms splayed out and legs weirdly angled in a funny little "running man" pose.

Sonic took another minute to really think about what had just happened. Had Rashida quite literally beaten the jerk out of him? One moment, that familiar fury was there, overtaking his senses, and the next, he felt as serene as a cloud on a windy day. His chest, his stomach, his head, they all hurt, and not because of Rashida's own attacks. That was a different kind of pain. This one felt far deeper and less flesh-deep. Finally, he spoke, nodding in affirmation.

"Yeah. I'm... I feel pretty good now." He felt pretty _great_ if he was being honest, but he wasn't about to gush the merits of physical therapy any time soon. Instead, he'd sit up, and give Rashida a warm smile, who returned the gesture.

"If you two kids are done flirting, I have some important information for Sonic here."

Both Sonic and Rashida looked toward the voice that had entered the room. The voice belonged to Lukman, who was stroking his beard, as he ever did, sitting down on a bench by the entrance to the sparring room.

"L-Lukman! I wasn't, I wasn't flirting, I just noticed he needed-!"

Lukman brought a hand up, a raspy laugh soon followed.  
"Do not worry, it's not as if I can even understand the youth nowadays." Standing up, Lukman hobbled over to the two sitting on the mat, who both began to stand up, having gotten their wind back sufficiently enough to be at least respectful of his presence. Standing in front of them, Lukman looked towards Sonic, a curious expression etched into his face.

"I've been studying within the inner sanctum the last few hours, and I thought that, to the best of my ability, I should let you know what I found." Sonic regarded his feet for a second, looking at the scuffed red shoes marred with scratches and looking more worn than ever, before turning his gaze back up at the elderly lion.

"Let's hear it."

Lukman nodded, leaning on his cane.

"It's most peculiar, but it would seem what happened at the life pool was not an isolated incident. There was one other time such an event was recorded here, and it has to do with the green herald of the Fourth Civilization." Sonic's ears perked up, twitching. The Green Herald?  
"His name was lost to time, stricken from most records known to man. Why, I doubt anyone knows it now, yet it was this same man that enacted a profane decision that altered the course of history forever. He too, had used the Chaos Emeralds, having stolen them from the other heralds, for a purpose unknown to me, and at a later point in time, had visited the Life Pool in an attempt to atone for his sins."

Sonic felt a pit drop in his stomach.

"Whether he was right or not, was not the matter of the problem. He had gone against the gods, deigning them beneath him, choosing his own path. For what purpose, I cannot rightly say. Any mention of him in all of my tomes and records, simply refer to him as 'The Nameless One.' Though, he too, was guilty of a great crime, his existence seems to end near the mark of the Fifth Civilization... the modern era, meaning he existed for a time after his use of the emeralds, but not much else is said."

Sonic tapped his foot as he listened, soaking in the information. Rashida began cleaning up their mess in the background, having evidentaly caused a little more of a ruckus than either of them thought. Looking back at Lukman, Sonic gestured vaguely at nothing in particular, hands articulating a mild, anxious fervor.

"Was there anything talking about how to fix it?"  
Lukman's narrow pupils fixated on Sonic, eyebrows knitting together in a silent apology.  
"Except for one tribe that dealt with this, nothing concrete I'm afraid." Sonic shook his head. If there was even a slim chance of figuring out what was wrong with him, he had to absolutely look into it.

"Who were they? Where are they? I need to try. I can't keep living like this." The lion sighed. This young man had saved the world, and now he was afflicted with a terrible curse. Was he sending him to his doom, or was he alligning himself with an enemy of the gods? Regardless of what he felt, he couldn't let this young man suffer.

"There exists two tribes in the northern valley's, past the Holy Summit. They have lived there for generations, isolated from the rest of the world. One is called the Wolf Pack, and, as I understand it, they have a seat on the Mobotropolis Council. The other, are known as the Spirit Tribe. They deal in all manners of the soul and the body."

That was a problem. He'd already passed the Holy Summit twice now. If only he'd known about it earlier!

"I believe you will want the Spirit Tribe, as the Wolf Pack are a collection of warriors that protect them. It is their sworn, sacred duty to ensure the safety of the Grey Herald that lives there."

Grey Herald?

"Wait, are you telling me that there's a herald alive today?" Sonic tried not to shout, but after all this talk of the heralds and everything he'd read about them so far then there had to be something more this. Least of which he had assumed they had all died off. If there was one left, than no doubt they could help figure out what was going on!

"Indeed. If there is any Gaia Temple tribe that knows more than anyone else regarding the nature of the heralds, and the Chaos Emeralds, it's none other than the Spirit Tribe. I'd stake my life on it."

Sonic felt a swell of hope rise up inside of him. That had to be it.

"Thanks, Lukman. I'll send you a christmas card first chance I get!" Before either Rashida or Lukman could respond in any thoughtful manner, Sonic jogged out of the sparring arena, navigating his way back to where he'd left his things, soon departing before anyone could say bye.

Lukman looked at Rashida, having hung back a little to let the elder talk to Sonic. After a moment of non-stop staring. Rashida grew self-conscious, ears flattening against her skull.  
"W-what is it?"

"You _were_ flirting with him, weren't you? You only ever 'spar' with boys you like. Every other time, it's a 'duel'."

Rashida grimaced.

"Please be quiet, elder."


	4. Begging For Mercy Makes Me Angry!

The lazy chill of the sea's breeze soothed Sonic's ragged, tired body.

Not to say he wasn't used to feeling like total garbage lately, because any amount of rest he had gotten was swiftly replaced with a visceral nightmare he could absolutely swear was real each and every time he closed his eyes. The worst part is they were all the same genre of horror. He wasn't sure if he was sick of it, or if his body was suffering from it just as much as fatigue was present... Maybe it was both. After all, the dreams never failed to unnerve him. Even if he wasn't scared usually, it made for a gut-wrenching revival of the mounting dread he felt with each passing day.

The headaches only got worse, as did his limbs whenever he sneezed. He didn't feel like he was getting an ounce of rest, no matter how long he decided to stay in bed that day. Something just was not letting him relax, and it was beginning to seriously dampen his mood. The last thing he wanted to do was to snap at someone that did not deserve it, although his reputation probably hadn't been the best for some time. These things tended to solve themselves, but something out of his control nagged at the back of his mind, even if it normally didn't concern him. This attentive reprieve from his usual modus operandi left a cold pit in his stomach. Was he evolving, or did he finally slow down enough to recognize when his being became a cosmic chew toy? At least he didn't have teeth marks. Yet.

But now, sitting on this bench, letting the breeze of the sea town gently ghost over him, he could finally say he was at peace. He obviously couldn't stay here forever, but Apotos was certainly one of the more relaxing locales he'd visited on his marathon across the world. Good food, happy, hearty townfolk, and the best damn coffee he's had since his dad used to homegrow coffee beans in the backyard.

The cafe veranda Sonic occupied held a certain number of other people, chilling around tables, soaking in the sun as they sampled their own beverages and conversations. For once in his life, Sonic felt isolated... or contained. It shouldn't have felt like the most natural thing in the world, but he was eager for a sense of calm. Sonic wasn't sure if that meant he was destined to be a hermit, but he didn't care. He made a mental note to come back here some day, regardless of whether or not he started sprouting mushrooms on his back on a hill somewhere, as hermits tend to want to do.

His desires were being pulled in several different directions, none of which involved getting up from his exceptionally comfortable seat. Further he sank into the bench, slouching. The breeze overhead soothed his frayed nerves, as those clouds blocked out the sun briefly, casting a cool overcast where he sat. It was paradise.

Paradise he would have to let go of, sooner or later. A disgruntled sigh escaped him. What was he hoping to find? Once he placed all of the emeralds back to their respective temples, what then? What would he do, once his world-wide mission finally concluded? These questions repeated themselves in his mind. Sonic failed to find an answer for any of them. He didn't want to be an aimless wanderer, yet the calling of a wayward vagabond seemed to be the most likely fate for him. He had saved the planet, and became a world-reknowned hero, but even that didn't feel like enough. He hadn't felt like he accomplished much of anything, once he began parsing the info in his mind. Maybe everyone didn't know who he was, but that was fine. He didn't like the spotlight much anyway.

Not that it did him much good. There wasn't much he _could_ do. Lukman had said it plain and simple; No mortal was meant to use the Chaos Emeralds all at once. Not only had he done just that, he had used them twice, and in conjunction with the Master Emerald no less. There's no telling the kind of forces behind that giant green rock, let alone telling what exactly was plaguing his body. He was just about fed up with these constant pains. The vomiting, the headaches, the joint pain, the blurry vision, the dizziness... he was over all of it. If this was supposed to be motivation for returning the emeralds, than it was doing a terrible job of convincing him.

Good thing he wasn't a quitter.

But damn was it hard sometimes.

Sonic slowly got up, his back and legs protesting. He'd probably feel better once he managed to get moving. It was always the start that made it the hardest. Hell, even moving was a chore now, something he thought he'd never admit to. The thought of a run excited his blood, shaking off the rust and turning that heavy mercury into quicksilver. Instead, Sonic deposited both hands into his jacket, angling his head down just enough to bury his chin into the collar, cheeks caressing the fine fur surrounding his neck.

Nothing particular was on his mind. For once it was empty, blank of emotion, the void filled with raw clarity of his surroundings. Sonic turned to the left, aimlessly wandering down a back street, back to a different part of the veranda proper. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but his throat was dry and he sure as hell didn't feel like running just yet. He'd get to it when he damn well pleased.

This lack of occupation in his minds eye became a soothing, silent mantra on his ragged soul. He wasn't thinking. Wasn't fighting. Wasn't forcing himself to think about his next move. A part of him chuckled wryly, the breeze picking up around his quills. The closer he got to the end of the street, the din of people along the main walkway grew with intensity, but remained soft and inviting, as old couples and young kids soaked in the moment of life.

Turning a corner, the waves of smooth, subtle jazz filled his head, getting closer to a different cafe he'd passed by earlier on his way to the more secluded veranda. Sonic had been here a few times over the last few days, often ordering one thing and taking a seat by the window. The anxiety in his bones, forced to quell themselves if just for a few moments, to at least feel alive once more.

Stopping at the cafe itself, Sonic glanced up at sign overhead, the barrier of a wooden and glass door separating him from a quiet few regulars already sitting inside, the barista at the counter idly scratching something into a notepad with a pen. The idyllic setup appealed to Sonic in the most mundane way. "Cafe Zesto." He repeated to himself, reading off of the sign.

Gennaíos was a strange country, but Apotos was a town he had come to admire for its simplicity.

Pushing open the door to the cafe christened Zesto, Sonic heard the tiny jingle of the overhead bell greet him in the exact same way it had the last few days. The familiarity wasn't lost on him, and it made him feel far more at home than the last week ever had. A few of the patrons looked his way once he had entered, giving off a warm smile and a raise of their mug. A bookish writer in the corner with horn-rimmed glasses, an old-man with a chessboard, sitting across from no one, and a younger kid with his mom, in the booth by the window.

The soft drift of jazz that he had heard before, was coming from this particular cafe. How Sonic had heard it so far away outside wasn't a detail that was lost on him. It could have been a beacon for all he knew, to a place he knew of safe, as a place of healing meant to soothe his roughshod soul. The brick and wood combination held an earthy-smell, accompanied by the nutty aroma of coffee beans both picked and ground, as a jug of hot coffee simmered by the counter, directly across from a display of confectionary treats meant to go with your beverage. Sonic couldn't imagine a friendlier and more inviting place to be.  


The barista, a silver polecat with a single dark streak on either side of his head, looked up from his notepad, giving a soft smile and a wave.  
"Ichitikós." He greeted, standing up straighter now that a new customer was here. Sonic made his way to the counter, a tired smile gracing his peach muzzle as he regarded the polecat with heavy eyes drooping slightly.

"Nefeli." Sonic greeted back. Even if it felt like someone had used his soul and emotions as a chew toy, Sonic couldn't forget his manners, especially now, and especially since his physically applied humbling in the most ungraceful manner possible. Plus, Nefeli seemed like a sweet, if somewhat shy dude. Last thing he wanted to do was act like a conceited jerk, especially with how warmly Apotos had greeted him.

"Ah... vah-ree glee-kohss?" Sonic attempted, in extremely poor Gennaiosian, their native language. Nefeli, to his credit, tried to not laugh, but a tiny, cute giggle erupted from his muzzle instead, pushing back a lock of hair over his shoulder out of habit, back into that wild, spiky mane that hung down, some of the thick locks drooping over one shoulder and resting behind the next. Sonic blushed, rubbing at the back of his head with a small, sheepish smile.

"You're getting better." Nefeli offered, turning to the side of the counter sitting perpendicular to the main one, grabbing ahold of the coffee pot as he began to gently pour the very fine liquid into a mug. "Normally, tourists don't really bother to learn how to order in the native tongue." Sonic could see Nefeli's soft smile, just beyond those locks of hair on his pointed muzzle. It felt warm to just see someone be so genuinely happy to see him, Sonic wasn't sure what to feel in that moment, beyond the graceful company in the cafe proper, all keeping to themselves in small, idle conversation, eliminating any awkward silences with righteous fury.

Sonic leaned over the counter just a tiny bit, to get a better look at how Nefeli was brewing his sugary coffee. Vary Glykos was a different way to order coffee in this region. It took some research on his part, but he'd found that coffee culture was remarkably different compared to other countries. For one thing, coffee beans in Gennaios were ground into an extremely fine powder; far, far more fine than anything Sonic was used to. After that, it was all about making sure the drink was as sugary as possible while retaining its naturally thick and creamy consistency. It was also one of the best damn cups coffee he'd ever had the pleasure of consuming.

Rimalia coffee beans were some of the finest, most well ground beans he ever had the pleasure of tasting. Typically known as "mountain coffee" to the locals, as it came from the desert regions of Rimal, often the centerpiece for fantastic tales about flying carpets and genies. Gennaios imported Rimalia beans on a regular schedule, with Gennaios export business mostly relying on a surplus of fish, fruits and vegetables, and the occasional petroleum and aluminum. Rimalia beans were thought to be amongst the first types of coffee cultivated all the way back to the 2nd Civilization. Was it a testament to their quality? Some things you leave behind never truly die.

For Sonic, the pleasant scent of rimalia felt like home. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of coffee bean his parents used to grow. A subtle pang of guilt stabbed him in the side. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. He would have to ask his mother what kind of plants his Dad used to grow, because it was only now did he find the simple pleasure of coffee to be an anchor for his skyward heart. He already held an astonishing BPM of around two-hundred, caffiene didn't do much for him anyway.

Nefeli came back to the counter with Sonic's large mug of rimalia, the fruitier, sweeter aromatic steam caressing his tired, sore nostrils. It almost smelled like blueberries. Sonic picked up up the mug with both hands, smelling the pleasant concoction, before sipping the dark brown liquid, feeling the creamy substance slide down in his throat. The blue hedgehog close his eyes, savoring the way the rich liquid seemed to almost massage his throat.

Sonic felt his mood immediately pick up. Nefeli, noticing this shift in expression on the hedgehog's tired, etched features, gave another, somehow even softer smile, leaning on the counter with an elbow and his chin supplanted within his palm.  
"Good?" He asked, with a tiny hint of self-satisfaction.

Sonic nodded, letting go of his own smile.  
"The best." The silver polecat smiled wider, standing up, proud of his skill at making coffee. Before Sonic decided to take a seat somewhere, he craned his head to peek at the display case of patries and sandwich options. There were soups, too. Sonic already had a cup of hot, fruity coffee, so he might as well balance it out with something sugary. He was always a little self-conscious of what he ate, unless it came to chilli dogs, but considering his current, almost agonizing existence, Sonic felt he could afford to treat himself for once.

Emerald eyes scanned the display, sweeping across various nut-filled triangles of phyllo dough, coated in syrup or honey. None of them really stuck out to him. Apparently Nefeli sensed his hesitation, because Sonic was greeted with the polecat's face crouching behind the display, pointing at a basket of fritters sitting innocently between fried rolls and what he could only assume to be a sweet roll of some kind.

"May I recommend loukomades?" He started, pointing at the fried balls of dough. Sonic looked up at Nefeli, a questioning gaze sent his way. "What are those?" Sonic responded, looking over them intently.

"They're a decadent, sugar-packed dessert usually made with a mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, which is deep-fried and then bathed in syrup or honey. The origin of lokma fritters is ancient but often debated. It is presumed that they first appeared in gennaios or rimal, but no one is really sure. The dish is considered to be one of the oldest recorded desserts in Gennaios history. It is said that the pastries were even given to winning Olympians as a treat and were called honey tokens. Loukoumades can be found throughout the streets here in Apotos, but we obviously make the best." Nefeli gave Sonic a wink, who only smiled in return.

Finally, he decided to choose those, asking for a handful to snack on with his coffee. Nefeli scooped up these fritters with a pair of tongs, with practiced motions that spoke of a wealth of experience in doing so, possibly for many people. Sonic wasn't sure how long the polecat had been working here, but his warm personality and smooth hand motions made it seem like home regardless.

With a plate of loukomades coated in maple syrup and rimalia coffee in the other hand, Sonic made his way to an empty seat at the other end of the cafe, the music player in the corner of the room having changed tracks to a more blues-like jazz single, devoid of voices, but telling a sad tale regardless. It was impressive to be able to tell a story without words.

Sitting back into the comfortable lining of a booth at the other end, Sonic set down his plate and his coffee, looking towards the window as he did so. Framing the glass portal to the outside were the window sill plants bathing in the sun, swaying gently in that sea breeze. How small those plants' world might seem compared to his. How full of agony and strife his existence had become, and how simple and idyllic theirs would always be

"More than one world, huh?" Sonic whispered to no one in particular, leaning forward upon the table only slightly, letting his tired form untense itself. He might as well try to enjoy the more simple pleasures of life. Not that it was exactly easy. Ask anyone that knew him, and they would say he was far from sentimental. In fact, he always did his best to never dwell on the past. It was the past; behind you, never to be seen again. Sure, you learn from history, but what then? Maybe that was the problem.

Where normal people found comfort in familiarity, Sonic found solace in moving forward. Where someone might stop to smell the flowers, Sonic might blow past them unless they really caught his attention. Was he selfish then, to not even give the time of day to natures blessing, to the world upon his own two feet walked? Or the world outside of his, the one that spoke of countless stories... History is what they make it to be. What they pass down and what they choose to pass by, giving it to a newer generation to do with.

He always chose to go his own path, but all it brought was misery. His world felt like it was dying, while everyone else's kept thriving. Where did he go wrong? Was this experience really something he wanted to pass on to anyone willing to listen?

All of these questions and Sonic didn't want think about any of them. He had the strangest feeling attempting to answer any of them would just frustrate him even more... so he popped a fritter into his mouth instead, rolling the sweet, sugary treat around his tongue, licking off the syrup before biting down on the fried dough, an explosion of flavor accompanying that blanket of syrup. Just like him, these fritters had a history. How they were made, where they came from, and what they gave to life's denizens looking to experience the world for themselves. This was but one facet, and it was clear to Sonic that life held far more tricks and tribulations than he was obviously prepared for... but that was the fun part. Trying new things. Just like these loukomades.

Sonic sighed, eating another fritter along with a sip of his creamy, sugary coffee. It wouldn't help to just dwell on his problems. A small, almost inaudible snort escaped him. The pure irony of not even devoting brain power to his _current_ problems wasn't lost on Sonic in any capacity. To say he felt like he was trapped in a labyrinth of conundrums wouldn't be an inaccurate statement. When would he able to exit this agonizing maze? If only he could he project his problems into a literal hedgemaze, then maybe he'd at least figure it out physically.

Sonic was so lost in thought, he did not hear the pair of shoes stepping towards his secluded seat. At first, he thought it was the rain; a rainstorm having apparently formed over the last ten minutes when he wasn't paying attention, pattering against the window, leading to his complete surprise when another steaming hot cup of coffee was settled next to his old one. Much to his consternation, Sonic had reacted in a bit of a jittery manner, blinking several times to make sure the person giving him his coffee wasn't just being cheeky before they did something terrible to his person.  
Nefeli's soft, smling face greeted him. It wasn't a wide smile; it was one that spoke of long nights staring out into the city lights on a high hill. Almost melancholy. Almost.

"You seem wound tight." Nefeli offered, leaning forward a bit as he clasped both hands behind the small of his back in what seemed to be a practiced fashion. Sonic forced a smile at Nefeli's concerned, but curious expression. His eyes flitted toward the two cups, one with steam rising so effortlessly from its porcelain confinement. He hadn't noticed his coffee going cold, but it seems the barista did. What a keen intuition, if he was able tell from so far away.

"You didn't have to do that." Sonic said, ignoring the prodding statement Nefeli had given him, voice low. Nefeli simply shrugged, standing up a little straighter.  
"Seemed like you needed it."

Sonic wordlessly wrapped his fingers around the newest mug, relishing in the warmth it brought his hand, and his throat too relishing in that lovely liquid, letting out an unconcious sigh of relief, something that only pleased the polecat standing next to his table. He eyed Nefeli slowly take the seat across from him, the warm light of the overhead contrasing against the overcast grey clouds mulling about outside, sipping at his coffee as he watched him cross over leg over the other in a fairly effeminate pose, leaning back in the chair, shoulders completely untensed, hands folded in his lap. They presented themselves as mirror opposites where emotional wellbeing was concerned.

Sonic was the first to speak after a moment of comfortable silence.  
"Being awfully presumptuous, aren't you?" Sonic didn't mean it as an accusation. The blue hedgehog was grateful for once, having someone sit nearby. Rarely, especially nowadays, did he ever find the time to sit down like a normal person, let alone with anyone else.

Nefeli shrugged, lips pursed in thought, right before he nodded, as if confirming something to himself first.  
"Well," he started "You seemed lonely, too. I watch people all day, and with the way you're sitting, you seem like you haven't really talked to anyone for at least a month. And before you start, I don't mean talking to someone to buy something. I mean, _really_ talking."

Sonic paused in his next sip, having had to process that matter-of-fact and declarative statement, parsing over what it was he was really getting at, before it dawned on him that Nefeli was just reading him like a damn book. How poetic.

"You're not... _in_ accurate." Sonic eloquently concluded, voice slightly reverbing off the mug, taking that sip he had meant to take. Nefeli's soft features only smiled wider, yet no closer to being arrogant or even self-righteous.

"Than may I ask what ails you?" Asked the silver polecat, tilting his head ever so slightly. Sonic looked down at his mug, unsure of what to make of such a question. Where would he even begin, let alone identify what it was? It would sound fantastic and completely insane, as if it belonged to a children's fairy tale. Fitting then, if his life was as tragic as one of those old-school tales of wolves and lumberjacks, or headless men and horses.

Blue hedgehog afflicted with a soul draining curse, seeks enlightenment and healing from the powers that be. Heh, it sounded terribly asinine once he put it like that. Nefeli chuckled. Crap, had he said that out loud?

"A curse, hm? Cannot say I know much about curses, but history proves them to be a valuable lesson when lifted." Nefeli had placed a hand upon his cheek, leaning his head into it. Sonic eyed the polecat with a remarkable stare. Either he believed him, or he was playing along. In either case, Sonic sipped at his mug.

"And what about you? Shouldn't you be at the counter?" Nefeli shrugged.  
"I'm on break. Not much to do right now, except pick at your brain a bit." It was Sonic's turn to laugh, stifled behind a poor attempt to not let it go in the first place.  
"What, you hit up all of your customers?"

"Nah, just the handsome ones." Nefeli winked.

 _Damn._ What a smooth guy. Sonic had to admit, the polecat held a certain charm and charisma about him. What was he doing working as a barista if he had moves like those? Sonic conceded, closing his eyes and leaning back, deciding to lean an arm over the head of the chair instead of hunched over the table as he was.

"Alrght, you've made a fair argument, but why me?" Sonic asked, looking towards Nefeli, jade eyes meeting violet ones.  
"Strangers make the best confidants, and I just have this gut feeling you're in need of an ear, and that's the least I could do."

Sonic couldn't argue with that logic. The pessimist side of him wanted to refute these good natured claims of simple altruism. Sonic immediately knew to pick the other option based off just that. His very core consisted of ideals that often clashed entirely with pessimism, so he knew that was the sickness and depression and insanity talking louder than the rest of the voices battling for control. At least, it felt like insanity. Those dreams were something else.

"Well," Sonic took a deep, _deep_ breath, letting out a huff of hot air built up in his lungs, decompressing himself and mentally fortfying himself. His thoughts have been so scattered lately, it's a wonder he even remembered to fasten the buckle on his shoes in the morning.

"Where do I even start?"

From the beginning, when everything started to go downhill. At first, it had seemed to him, to be just another day in his life, one of adventure and simple pleasures. His ultimate goal was to find someone, but he had never seen fit to bring this up with anyone, as they had either never asked, or he just never bothered to actually talk about his goals. He was a drifter, first and foremost, searching for clues that might bring him closer to finding out what happened to that particular someone. Now? He was searching for much more than just Him.

The ultimate answer to everything in his life. His true calling in this universe. Something, anything that would make him understand the grander scope of his world as he had come to see it. Bits and pieces formed an abstract puzzle created from ancient shapes that made little sense. An enigma wrapped inside of a riddle and coated in mystery. It endlessly bothered him, that there seemed to be something just beyond his understanding, unable to grasp what it was exactly. Sonic could feel the pull of a greater force, yanking at his chains, with every day growing harder than the last, as he slowly lost himself to the ether, poisoned from the very act he used to justify his selfish attitude.

Why did they all mistake him for something he wasn't? The universe at large lacked an important context to his actions. Was he even right for saving the world? He thought so, never doubting himself for a second. That much would never change. Even as his health began to fail, even as his friends hated him and his reputation wavered, Sonic would remain undoubtedly steadfast in his decisions. He was unbreakable, and he would remain that way for the rest of his life. A core philosophy he had adopted from a young age, his spirit indignant in the face of adversity.

Nefeli listened, nodding every so often to indicate he was still listening, as he drank in the details to this non-sentimental hedgehog recite his life so far. The battles of South Island near Adabat, the pain and suffering his friends had gone through, the Mobotropolis Attack, to the fantastically awful tale of becoming a screaming golden star, only to end everything with a final, white-hot blaze of divine fury. The monarch of doomsday having met his end at the hands of someone who did not relish the satisfaction of victory, but gave in to a lurking, sinister fear dwelling deep within. This hedgehog, having handcuffed lightning, his impetuous style a mask to soothe the pain he no doubt felt from then on.

When Sonic was done, Nefeli's expression had turned from one of whimsy, into one of empathy. Not even sympathy, leaving an appreciative warmth inside of his stomach. He felt sympathy was ignorant at best and condescending at worst.

"You really like to fight." It was more of a statement than a question. Nefeli already knew the answer. The sheer thrill Sonic felt with every blow he gave and received, his blood pumping in his ears and his heart hammering at three-hundred beats a minute, doubled from what he usually felt. The shock of every strike he'd ever thrown, coursing through his body. From the tales Sonic told this complete stranger, it's what he had gathered.

"You remind me a lot of the ancient Laconians." Nefeli continued, a playful tint to his voice. "They held a fascination with warrior ideologies. You don't seem that much different compared, and I'd dare say you only really feel alive whenever you're in danger." Maybe it was an unfortunate fact of his being, always seeking out the next challenge or thrill. He sure did have a history of finding trouble... or trouble finding him. Sonic having such an insatiable thirst for battle didn't seem like your average Mobian's lifestyle when it came to wayward vagabonds. Anyone hearing such things would be doubtful of their occupation in life, but Nefeli didn't seem to be bothered in the least bit by Sonic's own admissions only a minute prior.

When Sonic rose an eyebrow at the polecats declarative explanation, he further continued.

"Laconia was what Gennaios was called before the bloodless revolution at the start of the Fifth Era. I say bloodless, because it is remarkable that it was a quiet revolution." Sonic agreed. Although the idea of a country undergoing a coup d'etat without any kind of conflict sounded extremely boring, it was better for its citizens in the long run. The less horror of war, the better.

"But I'm getting off track. More to the point, you don't seem like a bad person, Ichitikós. You're just built different." Sonic leaned back in his chair, as Nefeli proffered his own perspective on Sonic's character. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that not everyone would see him the same way, or even differently, context depending. At this, Sonic smiled a dry, toothy grin that consisted of a brief, snarky chuckle.

"You're pretty understanding for a barista, Nefeli." Nefeli shrugged, a cute and small smile splaying itself on his light peach muzzle.  
"And you're deeper than you look." He fired back. Sonic's expression twisted into one of mock hurt and confusion.  
"Me? Deep? You must have me confused for someone else." The polecat brought a hand to his mouth to stifle another chuckle, dredged from the inner depths of his lungs.  
"You're right, why would I give so much credit to someone that looks like a scruffy thug?"

Sonic looked down at himself, blinking. Sure, he looked a bit... rough around the edges, with shadows under his eyes, dull green eyes, and his fur unkempt in several places. His dirty and scuffed shoes didn't really help matters either, but he hadn't put much stock into his appearance lately, something the silver polecat had apparently noticed of the blue hedgehog, who for his part, looked immaculate wearing that black turtleneck sweater covered by a green apron, brushing a stray lock of spiky hair from in front of his shoulder to behind it. They looked completely opposite. It was only then did they both share a laugh at the same time, the absurdity of it all coming to a head, as Sonic had felt great for the first time in a long, long while. He had a ways to go from being riddled with cynicism, but this felt like a proper first step into understanding who he was in this world.

When the cacophony of their quiet laughter subsided, Sonic looked out toward the window upon which the rain kept hammering itself against. Sonic's eyes grew somber, as his fist clenched itself on the tabletop, knuckles cracking from the pressure applied to his own limb. Nefeli was just about to as what had made Sonic so tense, but he wouldn't have to.

"Do you think most of the problems I have are because they're my fault?" Sonic asked, his tone having gone marginally quieter than before. A moment of silence passed between the two, their mutual understanding finally letting Sonic put his guard down long enough. Just beneath that rough exterior lay a child, exposed and scared of his surroundings.

"I've done incredible things throughout my life, but it never feels like enough. I could save the world over and over, but not once have I stopped to think about whether it meant anything to me, or _what_ it meant to me." Sonic looked back at the silver-furred Nefeli, placing his chin within his palm, paying rapt attention.

"People could praise me up and down, but I don't feel like I deserve it. All of those heroics, my adoring fans, or the work I've put into my livelihood, to make sure I have something to call by my own and feel like I contributed something of worth. Am I just, scared of what it would be like to see myself as anything more? Or have I dived so far into the deep end I can't find the light?"

The silence hung in the air between the hedgehog and the polecat. Sonic's eyes glistened, but he wasn't crying. A pensive aura had befallen Sonic, as he looked deep inward of himself. Nefeli straightened his posture, his face's features adopting a more serious, forward look, hand pressed into the tabletop.

"It's not your fault for feeling this way; but it _will_ be your fault if you continue to wallow in a rut like this. You have the strength to get out of it." Sonic shot a stark, surprised gaze at the polecat. His silence urged him to continue.  
"I'm not going to insult you by pretending to know how you feel, but I do know that you're strong enough to get better. You would not have made it this far if you weren't strong. Even then, it's not a matter of strength. You can't be scared of your own success, and you sure as heck can't let people rent space in your head. There are going to be people in this world that never want to be your friend no matter how hard you try, so you need to try, and if it doesn't work, move on. You can't let doubt ruin your life."

Sonic blinked several times. He had clearly heard every word Nefeli had laid before him. He had not only read him like an open book, but he had ripped out every page and carefully reattached each and every one. Sonic felt deeply uncomfortable, being confronted with the naked truth. He needed to hear something like that, and having it so brutally presented was a breath of fresh air for him.

"I get the weirdest feeling you're a part time empath." At this, Nefeli smiled again, leaning back into his chair just as Sonic had done.  
"Maybe you're right. Besides, I don't think handsome guys like you should frown all the time. It doesn't suit you."

There was that flirting again. Though, if he was being completely honest? Sonic didn't mind it.

Too bad it would have to be cut short.

Working with your surroundings at all times was a vital skill for survival. Most weren't aware of this, but Sonic kept a near vigilant eye out. The only time he wasn't keeping a clear focus on his immediate vicinity was rare times when he either couldn't focus, or if he was sick or asleep. A sixth sense for detecting trouble that immediately effected him. There was always a slight chill upon his spines, and an itch underneath his nose every time. Right now, he felt both cold, and the strong and sudden urge to sneeze very violently.

Right behind Nefeli, the door to Cafe Zesto had opened, the familiar tingling bell signaling the arrival of a new customer. However there was not one or two new patrons, but three, all walking in with a confidence that spoke of a determined goal in mind. Only people on a mission walked like they did.

In first, came a tall, broad shouldered coyote wearing a subtle navy blue coat held together by white straps, with polished gold buttons on the lapels and his cuffs. On his back appeared to be a saber of considerable length, housed within its curved sheath. Following close behind him was a rabbit of equal height, although she looked far less threatening, it did nothing to diminish the odd sight of her prosthetic limbs, of which there was three. Two metal legs ending in boot-like feet and an arm with some kind of gauge. The only natural one appeared to be her right arm, with the rest of her clothed in rolled up jeans, a modest brown jacket and a muted pink neckerchief. Her fur was a mixture of gold and white, with one large ear bent halfway down, as if she couldn't control it properly.  
  


The last entrant left Sonic's blood running cold.

A two-tone brown furred chipmunk with a mop of a red mohawk. Black tights to the cuff of her boots, blue vest, and black top that showed off her midriff. Two boots with buckles on each ankle, and a belt fastened securely around her waist gave her an utterly mercenary appearance. There was some kind of watch on her left wrist. With how bulky it looked, Sonic could only guess it was some kind of communicator.

All three of them were speckled in rainwater, having apparently walked through Apotos' streets without an umbrella. Clearly, they were just as unprepared for the rainstorm as much as Sonic was.

During their entry, Nefeli had gotten up from his seat, giving Sonic a quick apology as he jogged back to the main counter of the Zesto. Sonic sunk lower into his seat, trying to melt into the seat. If he got up now, they would surely hear or see him. He hadn't recognized the first two, but he most definitely knew the third one.

Princess Sally Acorn, Incumbent to the Acorn Monarchy. There was only one possible reason she could be here, and it was for the very reason Sonic had begun his world mission in the first place.

Sonic didn't bother to look at the small group, slowly attempting to abscond from his seat as quietly as possible. A sound of crinkling paper stained by rain behind him became clear, as they spoke to the unassuming barista before them.

"Hello, sir. We're with the IFCA, and we're looking for this blue hedgehog. Have you seen him?" Sally's terse voice cut through the soft jazz of the establishment. Although instead of being any kind of soft, it felt more like a steady crescendo peaking at a constant pace. Sonic stalked his way from his seat, getting closer to the front door.

"No, can't say I have. He looks quite villainous. Wouldn't mistake a face like that." Sonic would have to thank Nefeli personally later. Sticking up for him like that wasn't something he had expected at all.

"Mon dieu, we have people confirming a _blue mobian_ came this way. Do not play dumb with us." Apparently that was the coyote, whose accent was so incredibly thick, you could have probably sliced it in half with a knife and make bread with it. Sonic thought of a baguette joke. He wanted to laugh, but the sudden reemergence of the pain he'd been afflicted with came rearing its ugly head once more, and deep within his lungs to boot. Sonic tried to choke down the cough that started to itch at his lungs, vying for escape. He couldn't help the wracking sound his throat made.

During this conversation between the coyote, the chipmunk and the polecat, the rabbit had started looking around out of curiosity, hands on her hips as she admired the traditionally robust architecture. It was only when she had heard of a loud, painful cough behind her did she spy a jacketed, blue spined mobian did her instincts kick in, eyes narrowing at the site of someone exiting at a suspiciously slow pace. Bounding forward as her metal limbs bounced off the floor, the rabbit came up behind Sonic, grabbing at the hem of his wrist near his waist.

"Hey, sir!" Sonic froze. That deep-fried southern accent felt mildly raspy, even as it sent a mild shiver over his person. Something spoke of deep damage within her body, and Sonic had an eerie feeling it had something to do with those limbs of hers. She'd clearly seen far more damage than he initially thought, even if she seemed like she was keeping herself together well enough, it couldn't have been comfortable in any capacity.

Panic began to set in. They had spotted him. Sally had turned around to see what the rabbit was up to, only to see her holding onto Sonic. Breath hitched in her throat, she looked briefly to the coyote, who returned the uneasy gaze, shoulders tensed and legs stiffened.

"Sonic." She curtly called out, Sonic swallowed out of instinct, before yanking his hand away from the cyborg rabbit, giving her his own glare and a frown that could probably melt ice. The rabbit stepped back, sizing Sonic up. Sally walked over, the paper with his face on it rolled up into a neat tube.

"You're hard to track down." Sonic didn't say anything for a moment, eying all three of the people who had been apparently assigned to hunting him. The last he had heard of Sally Acorn, was her initiative to start something called the Mobotropolis Task Force. He wasn't exactly sure what the 'IFCA' was, but just from the lettering, his best guess was something to do with the United Federation, but he wouldn't be sure until he had concrete details. He only knew of the MTF because of Sally's open invitation to the squad, tracking down would-be threats to Mobotropolis, her people and the Federation between the Mobian and Human United Zone Alliances.

Sonic had staunchly refused. This was just after his last battle with Eggman in space and before his further descent into sickness and decay. He knew he would not be a good fit for any kind of authority figure telling him what to do. It clashed with his entire personality, no matter what he was feeling. He had his freedom, and he wanted it to stay that way. Besides the fact that his home country was neutral ground, but he wasn't in neutral territory, at the moment. His actions wouldn't reflect on other people. He would at least make sure of that.

"That's the point." He shot back, tone sharp. It was only a half-truth, but he didn't have to disclose the full details of what he was doing to anyone. The coyote didn't seem too enthused by Sonic's mannerisms, with the way he had crossed his arms, narrowing his own pair of sharp eyes at the hedgehog. Sonic glared back. The coyote turned his head away, scoffing.

"Friendly bodyguards you got here." Sonic scanned both of them, sweeping his eyes across both the rabbit and the coyote before settling on Sally.  
"Don't mind Antoine. He can be stuck up, but he is a loyal and capable soldier. As for Bunnie-"  
The rabbit, aptly named 'Bunnie', took that moment to stick out her non-metal hand towards Sonic, apparently only too keenly aware of what it might feel like if she had tried to use her non-organic hand. Or maybe she didn't have a lot of control over her limbs just yet. With her posture, it seemed to be a mix of both. Sonic reluctantly took it, shaking it and receiving a fairly powerful grip in return. If her normal arm was that strong, Sonic didn't want to think what a punch from her metal arm felt like.

"Pleasure to meet'cha, Sonic." There was more of that rasp to her voice. What was her deal?  
"Yeah sure. That's a hell of a grip you got." Sonic caught her putting on a sad, small little smile that went almost as quickly as it came.  
"Used t'work out on a farm before movin' to Mobotropolis to be a hairdresser. Parents were checking it out the day before the bombin'."

Well, that explained a lot.

Sonic didn't press that line of questioning further. There was no point in dredging up uncomfortable memories. Instead, he turned to Sally, eyebrows creasing down as he focused his attention on the chipmunk princess, whose expression turned grim when she noticed him looking at her.

"So is there a reason you're even here? I was enjoying my vacation." Sally nodded, but this time far more slowly. She seemed to hesitate to even continue, swallowing her resolve in spite of what she knew what was coming.  
"I'm not going to waste your time, Sonic. We have classified intelligence that you're in posession a Chaos Emerald."

During this entire debacle, Nefeli had been quietly observing the four of them talking near the front door, cleaning a mug with a rag as he did so to look like he was occupied. The polecat doubted they'd notice him, but his gut began to feel quite sour in the meantime. He had the funniest feeling things were about to take a turn for the ugly. With all three of their backs turned, he could only reliably observe Sonic, who seemed to be extremely uncomfortable with this turn of events.

"So what if I am?" Sonic cut into the statement, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. "it's none of your guys business what it is I have anyway." Sally's brow creased down. Obviously, this wasn't going to be smooth or easy. It never was, at least where Sonic was concerned.

"Actually, it is" she cut right back, putting on that telltale voice that spoke of authority and command. "The blue chaos emerald that had been stolen from the Hidden Palace vault half a year ago, stolen by that traitor Robotnik."

The very same blue chaos emerald currently sitting in Sonic's jacket pocket.

"It doesn't belong to the Acorn Kingdom." Sonic's short reply came biting. "If it belongs to anyone, it belongs to the Gaia Temples on Mobius. End of story." Sally, Antoine and Bunnie all exchanged worried glances. Sonic had proven to be spectacularly bullheaded before, and right now was no different. He wasn't in a negotiating mood. That much was evident to them. Sally looked forward to Sonic, who only retained that venomous glare he'd reserved for people he didn't like.

"Sonic, you don't understand. The Chaos Emerald is a symbol amongst our people-"  
"And just what the hell do you know about 'symbols'?!" Sonic barked out, cutting off Sally, who recoiled from the sheer shock of watching Sonic burst like that. He might have been brash and short tempered, but... something was different this time. Antoine assumed a stance, rearing a leg back. He wouldn't let harm come to his princess. Bunnie brought up both hands, trying to ease the tension of the situation, having escalated rapidly.

"N-now hold on you two. Suga'hog, you oughta let Sal' say her piece, right? S'only fair." Sonic turned on Bunnie, his dull jade eyes having turned into a more vibrant green, shimmering for what seemed like a fraction of a second.  
"What's fair about taking what isn't yours? You wanna talk about symbols, take a good look at the one on my back, because I'm getting out of here."

At some point, Sonic had realized his temper was taking ahold of him far worse than he'd initially thought. Whatever good mood he was having with Nefeli had soured quickly, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration fangs grinding down. He would have to come back and apologize to the polecat for causing a scene like that, but at the moment, he needed to cool off, and standing here arguing with these three yahoos wasn't doing him any favors.

Both Bunnie and Antoine had spotted the emblem emblazened across Sonic's back. A ring with a pair of sharp golden wings, red banner stretching across the bottom with the word "FREEDOM" in stark white. Where Bunnie had paused to take in the situation, Antoine had a different idea. The coyote felt a spark of indignation at the brazen attitude this blue hedgehog was sporting. He hadn't even had time to listen to Sally saying something behind him before he grabbed at Sonic's wrist much like Bunnie had done minutes prior. Only, instead of getting the same reaction, Antoine was met with a lightning fast strike to the stomach.

Antoine flew backwards past Sally, sliding across the floor and slamming into the counter, groaning out loud as the sensation of what felt like a miniature meteor had planted itself in his stomach before exploding.

The speed of this event left both Sally and Bunnie's brains struggle to catch up. Sonic had kicked Antoine so fast and so hard, there was a small dent in the surface of counter. Both looked toward Sonic in unison, holding a furious glare etched onto his face. His position remained the same, foot outstretched, before slowly bring it back towards his body, stepping down in one smooth motion.

Sonic seemed to only just now register what he had done, as his gaze turned from one of justified anger to shock. Just as quickly, he made his way out of the door, pulling it open to escape out into the rain.

Bunnie was left confused on what to do. On one hand, her friend had just been knocked clean across the room. On the other, their target was getting away.  
Sally decided for her, running over to where Antoine was curled up on the floor, pointing at the door in a frantic manner.

"Bunnie, go after him!" Bunnie Rabbeau clenched her fists, nodding in confirmation of her orders. She followed suit, right behind Sonic.

Sally ran over to Antoine's spot on the floor, lifting him into a sitting position, to at least get a better look at the kind of damage that kick had done. Opening his coat despite the coyote's protests, Sally grimaced upon seeing the shoe-shaped bruise quickly forming right above his navel. That would definitely leave a mark.

Bringing her wrist up, Sally pressed sequence of buttons, activating a broadband frequency. She wasn't going to take this lying down.

"Red Leader to Mobile Task Force Yellow, I want everyone activated. Pursue Sonic The Hedgehog. Lock onto Agent Rabbot's GPS and assist as needed. I need him captured, now."

The first question that came to Sonic's mind as he jogged through the rainy streets of Apotos, was wondering why he was stupid enough to let his anger get the better of him yet again. Assaulting an officer of the Acorn Kingdom? Not only did this 'Antoine' not deserve to get hit so hard, he was also reasonably sure he put most of his strength behind that kick. Sonic had a good feeling he didn't kill the coyote, but there was lingering doubt in his mind constantly telling him he had probably done more than knock him back, something he was intending to do, and he just couldn't shake the feeling he had just committed to a dire mistake.

The second question was how the hell they knew he had a chaos emerald, let alone the _blue_ one. The very same emerald Eggman had pilfered from the Hidden Palace beneath the Acorn Castle and Sonic had promptly taken back after the battle in the stratosphere, inside that neverending debris field that had been christened as Doomsday.

He was going to give Knuckles such an earful the next time he saw him.

Winding through the cobblestone streets, Sonic had picked up a marginal amount of speed, eyes squint shut to the oncoming rain pelting him constantly. Times like this, Sonic had wished he would have invested in a hood of some kind. He left his goggles inside of the Tornado near the Genniaos International Airport. Unlike his dufflebag, which was secure inside of the room he had booked for a week at an innocuous motel. He doubted someone would steal a pair of old yellow flying googles.

Even so, the rain might be a problem. It wasn't storming so bad anymore, but even at a drizzle, the speed he was going at would make anyone think twice about careening around a corner. One wrong step on a wet puddle and he would go flying. Considering how close Apotos was next to the sea, if he launched himself into the bay...

Sonic shook his head. No time to think about what-if's. He had to get out of there and return the blue emerald safely to the Gaia Temple. He'd deal with the aftermath of Sally and her goons later.

To his right, through the cacophony of rain, a chopping sound steadily became louder, until it became an almost deafening crescendo, cutting through the bad weather. Sonic turned his head slightly, having just broken through a narrow alleyway out into a cropping of buildings, only to be met with a helicopter keeping steady pace alongside him some few dozen meters away. The inside of the canopy held a red light, with the doors opening to reveal more than a few humans and mobians huddled together, keeping an eye on him as he ran.

"You've got to be kidding me!"  
"Not a chance!"

A voice sounded off above him, stealing his gaze away from the helicopter, and to the cyborg rabbit flying nearby, with a pair of jets streaming out of her feet. Guess those fancy limbs did more than enable movement.

Bunnie flew down, coasting next to Sonic, attempting to swat her away as she tried to get in closer, grabbing at him with her mechanical limb.  
"C'mere!"  
"Not a chance!" Parroted Sonic out of a mix of pettiness and genuine irritation, smacking at her hand.

Coming to a slope, both Sonic and Bunnie traded light blows, striking at one another but not able to do any real damage. Neither one of them even wanted to do this, with extenuating circumstance being the fuel for the fire. The rabbit and the hedgehog kept pace with eachother, winding through the various paths of the sprawling city of Apotos, as the helicopter flew nearby, preparing their own method of attack.

With the winding path now coming out to a circular path, spiraling down and into a more narrow path, a series of concussive bangs flew by and near Sonic, causing him to sidestep back and forth, before jumping over the last one. The kinetic blasts forced his ears to ring, and Bunnie to fly higher, signaling something to the crew aboard the helicopter.

"Danger close!" was all Sonic heard, as the ringing subsided just as quickly as it came. However, with Bunnie now a fair distance away, this let the chopper crew let loose another barrage of stun rounds, attempting to subdue Sonic.

Sonic growled, picking up speed, forcing his legs to go even faster despite the onset of a burning sensation in each leg, pushing a stream of pain down to his lower back. He wasn't in any shape to be running right now!

Ahead was another slope, but this time it rolled back up. If he went a little faster, he would be able to jump off at the peak and get some air. Unfortunately for him, Bunnie was still hot on his tail, swooping back in from an arc, divebombing on top of Sonic, clipping his back and making stumble down the slope.

Hedgehog instincts kicked in. Without even meaning to, Sonic curled into a ball, picking up speed much faster than he would have normally, as momentum and gravity pushed him much farther, a wave of blue began streaming behind him, tinted by a crimson crackle of electricity.

Rolling off the top of the slope, Sonic shot into the air, now level with the helicopter. Bunnie had followed behind him closely, attempting to grab him again, but she wasn't prepared for his sudden leap of faith. Before she could react, Bunnie was suddenly met with an almost deafening 'whoosh' as air seemed to bend around Sonic, showering himself in a bright red aura, rocketing right towards her, slamming her with the full momentum of his body.  
  


How the hell had he changed direction in the air so quickly?!

Sonic bounced off of Bunnie, flipping backwards, even higher into the air. The helicopter crew readied another volley of stun rounds, with their self-assurance that there was no possible way Sonic could dodge them now.

Even if that were the case, they would be so very, very wrong. Because as it turns out, each stun round fired from the cannon on the side of the helicopter was about the size of a basketball, shot out as a metal orb, before exploding with whatever hard surface it had connected with.

To Sonic, the world had become slowed. To everyone else, he was nothing more than a blue and red blur.

A stun round was fired out of the cannon. Sonic saw the orb coming. Pushing a foot out, Sonic stepped on top of the metal capsule, pushing his other leg out just in time for the orb to explode underneath him, sending him shooting towards the helicopter in a screaming arc of blue afterimages. Before anyone could reliably react to this utterly insane devil-may-care trick, Sonic's foot slammed into the hull of the helicopter, the sound of metal being torn apart a loud and uncomfortable one. A few of the chopper crew members peeked around the side of the open sliding door to get a better idea of what their target was doing.

Sonic had pulled his foot out of the side, now bracing himself on the wing of the helicopter with his hands, as both feet pushed against the side of the cannon, causing metal and screws to groan out under the pressure of something extremely heavy forcing itself out of its pre-destined position.

"He's tearing off the cannon with his feet!" one of the soldiers remarked, in both a state of awe and disbelief. With the stand it was sitting on warped from the force of his legs, Sonic sent one final stomp onto the surface of the cannon, tearing it away completely, sending it tumbling away into the sea beneath them.

Having recovered from Sonic's attack earlier, Bunnie flew towards the helicopter, intent of getting ahold of Sonic and getting him to calm down. Adrenline was coursing through his veins, with Sonic's heart beating at impossible levels that would kill anyone else. He wouldn't calm down unless forced to.

Spotting Bunnie coming back for another round, Sonic jumped away from the helicopter, grappling with the cybernetic rabbit. Bunnie caught Sonic, unprepared for the sudden weight shift. It was during this tussle, that one of the soldiers aboard the helicopter had armed himself with a rifle loaded entirely with beanbag rounds. This would knock Sonic off his feet for sure.

Taking aim, the soldier closed an eye, focusing entirely on Sonic as both him and Bunnie attempted to wrest control from each other, with Bunnie trying to both fend off Sonic, and not force both of them into the awaiting sea below.

With a steady breath and a pull of the trigger, a beanbag flew out from the rifle. The explosive bang caught Sonic's attention, turning his head towards the sound, only to be met chest first with the beanbag, knocking the wind out of him. The kinetic strength of which knocked him right off of Bunnie, and down, into the tumultuous, dark waves rolling beneath them.

Sonic crashed into the water, the countless raindrops making it impossible to hear what Bunnie had shouted. He wasn't able to prepare for the sudden, cold shock of the water enveloping his entire person, and the sudden onslaught of water invading his mouth and his lungs.

Instead of fighting it, instead of trying to find any way he could get out of this situation alive, Sonic felt an eerie calm overtake him.

 _Don't fight it._  
_Let it end._ It said, over and over.  
_You're not fighting for anything._  
_Your existence is nothing but misery._  
_You've wanted this to end for a while now._

_Let it die.  
  
  
_

_I told you already that it'd be a big problem for me if you got yourself killed._

A twisted pressure persisted at his back. Sonic refused to turn around. The entire world around him was nothing but blank darkness. There was him, and then there was the darkness. To say there was anything else would be a lie, but then why did he feel like there was a monster at his back, its drooling maw ready to bite down at a moment's notice? Was he lying to himself?

_That is what's really puzzling to me. You tried to hard so escape, to live, and to save the world you call home, only to let yourself drown?!_

I didn't want to keep going.

_You can't expect me to believe that. Everything you've worked for, it meant nothing to you? To just throw it away like that?! That's not who you are you damn coward!_

Call me what you want. It doesn't change what happened.

_This isn't who you are. No matter what happens, you would always be happy with life so as long as you had a good fight and ground beneath your feet._

_You, who's so stuck in his rut that he doesn't even see the good things in life he used to feel and experience every day. This is a profane mockery of what you are, and everything you will ever be!_

_Your duty to yourself is to live._

Sonic awoke with a gasp.

His lungs burned. His head hurt beyond reproach. Every limb, every inch of his being felt like it was on fire, that he had gone days without rest and then some. Sitting up in a hurry, Sonic tried to catch his breath, only for his lungs to hitch and cause a hacking fit, bringing a fist to his mouth in an attempt to stifle it, his head throbbing harder with every cough.

"Oh, you're awake."

Sonic froze. A deep voice sounded off to his left. It was only now did he finally take stock of his surroundings. He was in some kind of... open hut. A simple, open shack built with sturdy sticks and dry looking hay and leaves, made sturdy with rocks and rope. Sonic himself, was one some kind of bed, and although it seemed to be made mostly from leaves, it was one of the more comfortable beds he had ever slept on. That was saying a lot about modern mattresses.

Turning his head, Sonic spotted the back of... wow.

That was a really large cat.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Sonic stepped down onto the sandy ground, kicking the points of his shoes into the fine material out of habit. Where the hell was he?

Stepping out of the open air shack, Sonic was met with the bright light of the sun, the breeze from yesterday picking up once more, having to shield his eyes, letting them adjust first.

There, sitting just a few feet away, was a very large, deep purple cat with long, triangle ears hanging at the ends, and a ringed tail sitting just behind him. He appeared to be sitting on a makeshift dock, as it was made using wood planks of varying sizes and held together with ropen, weighed down by some very heavy looking stones that were about Sonic's height. He doubted he'd even be able to roll them. For the cat, he turned his head towards Sonic, meeting jade eyes with deep, almost piercing yellow ones, completely with small, beady black eyes. To say the sight caught him off guard would be an understatement, but the feeling of unease quickly subsided.

There was absolutely nothing to fear from this cat.

"Sleep good?" He asked in that rumbly voice. Some part of Sonic expected him to sound slow, or maybe even deadpan and monotone, but he was instead met with a deep, inviting calm. It wasn't deep like baritone, of even significantly noteworthy. Just... it held volume. Sonic couldn't exactly even place what it sounded like, but it was nothing he had ever heard before.

"Yeah." He responded, mostly out of a dumbfounded realization that this person had probably saved his life. Sonic shook his head, stepping closer through the sand.

"You pulled me out of the water, didn't you?" It was only then, that Sonic noticed that the cat was holding a fishing rod, cast out into the light, almost teal crystal waters. The purple cat's head turned to him again, lips on his white, scruffy muzzle pursed into a thin line.

"Yeah. You were floatin' out like a log. Thought you _were_ a log. Almost ignored you." Sonic rose an eyebrow. Almost? What made him change his mind? As if the universe had read aloud his question, a green frog suddenly popped its head out of the water nearby, with a curious smile upturned on its cheeks. _Was_ it smiling, or had Sonic's mind finally bent so much it snapped in two?

The frog swam around the dock, floating almost carelessly around the cat's fishing line, as if it was waiting for the next catch.

"Froggy." The cat responded, pointing at the happy little frog doing laps back and forth in the shallow part of the water, only inches away from the sand at the bottom. Sonic came closer, crouching next to the water, his own smile creeping onto his peach muzzle.

"Well, thanks Froggy." Sonic would have put out his hand to shake, but that was kind of hard given how Froggy was an actual frog, and not a mobian frog. Froggy seemed to hear him, with the way it shot a spout of water into an arc past Sonic, into the sand next to him.

"I'm Big." Sonic looked towards Big with a funny little grin, raising an eyebrow in an incredulous manner.  
"I can see that."  
"No, I mean, _that's_ my name."  
"Oh."

A silence fell between them, although it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Big was the first to speak, breaking the steady sound of seagulls and waves.

"Sorry. I'm not used to talking to people." Sonic waved a hand, dismissing the apology.  
"Don't worry about it. At least you got manners, unlike me. The name's Sonic." Big chuckled, laughing from his belly in a guffaw-like way.  
"You're a pretty simple guy, huh Big?"  
Big shrugged nonchalantly, though he didn't move much.  
"That's what some people call me. But I don't see much of a point in getting riled up about most things. I just go about my business. Try not to bother anyone, y'know? Like how I was gonna call you Freedom, because of your jacket."

It was only then that Sonic had noticed he wasn't wearing his jacket. Brief panic set in. How hadn't he noticed? Looking back to the shack, Sonic spotted the bomber jacket hanging from a branch on a nearby tree. Getting up, Sonic jogged over to it, bringing it down off the branch to inspect whatever damage had befallen it.

Besides being slightly damp, there were no tears. Reaching inside of the breast pocket, Sonic felt around for the emerald, letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding once he had found the gemstone safely secured inside the fabric.

So that was good. He hadn't lost the emerald in the ocean. With his luck, he was almost sure it would have fallen down into the deep waters, never to be seen again. That would have been beyond catastrophic.

Looking down at himself, Sonic felt along his arms and his chest, feeling the familiar warmth he had always felt in his life before the fateful day when he first became that golden, uncontrollable monster. Ever since that day, he's been plagued with nothing but nightmares, sickness and pain. Yet, in that very moment, he had felt normal once again.

He was absolutely sure it wouldn't last. Better make good use of his stamina while he has it.

Shrugging on the coat, the cool dampness of the fabric under the intense gaze of the sun was an odd, but not unwelcome combo of keeping him cool and alert. Walking back to Big, he had come up to his side, looking out into the ocean where his line was cast.

"How long was I out?"  
"Uh... about a day?"

An entire day's worth of rest. Guess he really needed it. Stretching his limbs out, including bending forward to touch his toes, Sonic felt a sickening series of cracks and pops erupt out of his back. It apparently sounded bad too, with the way Big's ears flattened against his head.

"Ow." He had said simply.  
"You're tellin' me." Sonic responded, a hint of mirth returning to his voice.

As nice as this was, he had to go. There was no telling how good he was going to feel right now, and if he was any closer to his goal, then he should start the search now.

"Thanks for the save, Big, but I got some stuff I need to get to." At least, he would have taken off right there, had he not suddenly come to the realization that he had landed on the shores of a series of archipelagos. Islands stretched out before him, with boats and sandbars dotting the landscape. The sheer scale of the Genniaos region only just now occured to him.

Big turned to Sonic in that moment, observing this strange blue hedgehog, acting erratic and energetic. What an odd fellow. Sonic turned back to Big, a sheepish grin spreading out on his face.

"Ah, you wouldn't know of something called a 'Gaia Temple' around here, would you?" Big took a moment ot think to himself, placing his chin between his finger and thumb, adopting one of those stereotypical 'thinking' poses you so often saw in modern art trying to emulate old statues. An entire minute had passed, causing that familiar impatience to rear its head, with his foot rapidly tapping on the warm sand.

"Oh yeah." Big turned the other way, pointing towards the rest of the island behind them, and behind the shack where he resided. Sonic followed his finger,letting go of an exasperated sigh once he saw nothing but the collection of a rainforest dotted with large, stone pillars sticking out of it.

"That big stone place is through there."

Real descriptive.

"Thanks, Big."  
"Uh huh."

With a shake of his head, Sonic adopted a running pose, placing both hands into the sand, and leveling a foot behind him, breathing in deep through his mouth and letting it out of his nose. He closed his eyes. He could feel the sunshine on his back. His mind was clear once more.

He opened his eyes.

Sonic blasted off from his spot on the shore, taking off into the jungle before him, his blue form rapidly retreating into the brush, and beyond into wilds unknown. Big didn't know what Sonic had to do, or why he was here. Heck, he didn't even know if the temple really _was_ in that direction exactly. He'd only been to it once, you see. Even so, Big smiled, head turning to his companion, Froggy, poking its head out of the water to tilt its face at Big, wondering what his owner was thinking about, turning back to the water as his rod had finally gotten a bite, standing up to better pull in his rod with effortless strength.

A large creature was yanked out of the sea, splashing the area with water, as a two-hundred odd pound swordfish flopped against the deck at Big's feet, it's silver and blue scales shining in the sun from the glistening water.

"He seem's nice."


	5. Rage

My immediate space is empty now. I'm left with nothing but my own uncommunicative tremblings. I cannot hide within innocence as that option fizzled out long ago. I would have laughed at the perfectly incomprehensible geometry of my head assuming it's arrogant existence but I'm left with nothing but a self-loathing so powerful I think it's leaving a chill down my spine.  


The vanguard of my life's path isn't any more intangible than my own willingness to play the traitors game, in a wish to play up the sum of all of my parts in a never ending gamble. Fortuitous am I for staying true to my selfish desires, even if my own slings and arrows of fortune outclass the will of the needy. My own will beseeches thee, naught built of nothing but fear and anger. I take my unpolished instinct and constructed a powerful weapon from the chaos.

The seagulls feed on where sand and sea meet in the middle, picking at nothing that will help them. Nothing exists between then and right after. Only now. It's a linear series of misfortunes. There is nothing more helpless and irresponsible than a man looking to make his grand exodus from his own life.

Shattered metal corpses judge me from afar, with rainslick oil illuminating its strange rainbows, the pattern of which I dump my life's essence resembles summer constellations. The floor is now a beautiful car crash that resembles a sickly green butterfly, flattened by the will of the thousand. One one thousand voices talking to me all at once, as the chaos' warm welcome penetrates me again and again. I stare at her. Her.

She knows of the single flame between us, flickering incessantly. Her best efforts kindle and renew the flame, and I am content to let it die. I do not want it to die, but it's easier to let it go, as countless generations went by in a flash with no hassle, but my centerpoint seems to be a focusing stone for the helpless. Slanted and narrow eyes regard me with a cold stare. She says many things, but I am not here. It's unimportant.  
  


I should stop talking. The black suits eye me with a viscous disgust, trailing from their mouths and acquiescing just as slowly. The traps were laid threadbare and I fell into it. The cause of so much grief and I simply wanted to leave it all behind. Saving mankind was not the buzz it was cracked up to be.

I came here for one reason and it's being torn away from cold, ruined bodies. Masticulations prevent me from really running away, as eyes stare at me full of either universal understanding or absolutely nothing at all. I'm sick because I'm so angry. Who are they to know what I want? Their eyes bore into me further. I cannot hide within innocence, as they know of me, but know not to know me. Only one does.

Your dark mind cuts through the bleeding sky. Your eyes felt the burn. Your own machinations are the architect of your worldly demise. Another time. Another time, soured by the smell of rust in your heart, oxidized by your own selfish and inhuman needs.

You cannot go back. Ever again. Gravity has increased its grip upon you and you are stuck here forever. You are not ready to live with this consequence, but...  
  
  
trial by fire was always a hallmark of your own skills


End file.
